Come Alive
by cupcakemolotov
Summary: Collection of AU and Cannon 'what if' drabbles from my tumblr. All klaroline, with an assortment of supernatural, the rare AH, and a collection of regency.
1. Chapter 1

"It doesn't mean anything."

Warm lips ghosted down her spine, the occasional edge of teeth and Caroline shivered.

"If so say so, sweetheart," the languid indulgence in his voice irritated her. Blinking open hazy eyes, she tilted her head to look at him. Bare chested, hair in disheveled-curls, eyes lazy.

"Klaus."

He settled next to her, dominated the bed. Cool, bare skin was illuminated by the early morning light and the stark lines of his tattoos drew her eyes. Her fingertips chased edges of the birds, until he caught her hand.

"Don't make this more than it is." Caroline said stubbornly, ignoring the way her voice sounded a touch breathless. He dropped her hand and rolled to his knees. She stayed still, unwilling to move just yet.

"Sweetheart. The only part of this that means nothing is still hours away." He stroked a line down the back of her thigh with his knuckles, movements unhurried. "When you get up, dress yourself and walk away."

She frowned at him. "Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know." Klaus corrected, lips curving at her growing indignation. "In a few hours, you'll get dressed and go back to your friends. In a few weeks, a few months - you'll be back."

Leaning down, he dragged blunt teeth down her shoulder. "I'll be here. Waiting. And when you do show up - angry, sad, lonely, happy, it doesn't matter - we both know I'll fuck you senseless. Stroke the long lines of you until you purr, beguile you with blood and silk, tie you to my bed until we both bleed; so that moving is a distant thought, until the idea of leaving me, this bed, takes effort."

Caroline shuddered as he lightly kissed her shoulder.

"Same as this time. Same as the last. I run through your veins sweetheart." He lifted his head and dimpled at her. "What is leaving, compared to that?"

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	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, Caroline."

Caroline stilled just inside the doorway to her bedroom. The house had been quiet, doors locked when she'd arrived. Not that locks or doors had ever stopped the hybrid currently sprawled across her bed.

At least he'd the decency to keep his shoes off her blankets.

"Klaus."

He pushed up, swung his legs over the side of her bed. She walked into the room, ignored him for a moment as she shed her purse and shoes. Satisfied, she turned to face him, gave herself a moment to look. From the rumors she'd heard from New Orleans, she hadn't expected to see him - at least not with that familiar, predatory look behind his eyes.

"I can't say I expected to see you," She gave him a tight, irritated smile. "Considering this is _Mystic Falls_."

He smiled and the devilry there made her stomach jump. "Now sweetheart, I was worried."

She arched both brows, "Get off my bed."

His smile widened as he pushed up and sauntered to her, so utterly pleased with himself. "I heard you've been playing with Stefan."

"If you were hoping to find emotionless-Caroline, you're a few days late." Caroline told him bluntly.

That smile sharpened and he paused, close enough she felt the heat of him. Hands clasped behind his back, Klaus tilted his head. "I imagine emotionless Caroline would've been quite fun love, but when you've had the whole package, well, there's no point in going back."

"Is this about Stefan?" She narrowed her eyes. "Because that's none of your business."

His eyes burned, smile fading. The utter seriousness of him made her pause. "I liked your little test."

Caroline sighed. "Also none of your business."

"Come now, sweetheart." Klaus cajoled, eyes never leaving her face. "We both know that you'd never have gotten your year. But how did it feel to know Stefan didn't even trust you for three days?"

Caroline pressed her lips together refusing to acknowledge his words. That didn't seem to bother him. Instead, Klaus reached up and twisted a curl around his finger, lips edging up when she didn't push his hand away.

"Do your friends even realize they're prey yet, love?"

Wasn't that a sudden kick to the chest? Not that he'd call her friends prey - Klaus considered everyone expendable - but that he'd so easily read her. That he'd taken one look at the situation, and seen her motivations. Grasping his wrist to stop the light tugging on her scalp, Caroline leaned challengingly into his space.

"I kept my promise."

He blinked, lashes flickering to cover his eyes before he watched her carefully from beneath them. "And how did it feel, fucking him while that boy bled out?"

She sighed. "I do regret that."

"The sex?"

"The boy."

Klaus rubbed her curl between his fingers, continued to watch her from heavy lashes. "Play your games, sweetheart. But keep in mind, _my_ promise."

Caroline's lips twisted. "That you wouldn't step foot in Mystic Falls?"

His dimples cut deep as he smiled at the bite in her voice. "However long it takes."

"How's fatherhood treating you?" Caroline drawled. "Is it everything you expected?"

Klaus ignored her hold, and shoved his hand into her hair, his other pressing into her hip. In one quick move he pressed flush against her as her back hit the nearest wall. His palm cushioned her scalp, even as he left bruises on her side. His nose brushed under her ear, a hot, unnecessary breath dampening her skin.

"Do you know how difficult it is, gathering all my enemies in one place? They scatter into the woodwork, hide like insects. And like all bugs, it only takes the perfect bait to trample them."

He kissed the edge of her jaw, bit lightly before stepping away. Her body was hot, over sensitized by the abrupt contact and then sudden loss. Hands clasped behind his back again, he stepped into the moonlight and grinned at her, the hybrid turning his gaze pale as darkness crawled underneath his eyes. Everything about him was feral in that moment and her mouth went dry.

"Be safe, love," Klaus bowed slightly, smile wide and wicked. "My understanding is you're still fond of this place."

Then he was gone.

Leaving her alone, with only the sound of the front door closing and her skin too tight.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the fuck was that?"

"Caroline Forbes. What do I owe this pleasure?" Rebecca asked. "Please tell me how you got my number, so I can kill someone."

"Okay at first, I admit I was bitchy about the baby thing. I mean, what the flying fuck? It's not bad enough that he picks uber-skank herself, but then he has the utter indecency to get her preggo? I mean, I realize actual hygienic condoms are a) usually a waste of time for him, and b) relatively new, but Jesus Mother of Christ. What even?"

There was a pause. "I wasn't aware that was gossip."

"I'm apparently the baby vampire everyone wants to keep informed. Stay with me. That's not important."

"My future niece or nephew, I think you'll find is exceptionally important." Rebecca said firmly into the phone, voice tight.

"Oh. My. Gawd. Are you serious right now? Look, does he have a doppelgänger? Is that even possible? I'm pretty sure time and space would break, but hey, what's new?" Caroline waved her free hand about wildly, ignoring the people dodging around her.

"Listen, you infant, I honestly could care less if the baby upsets you. But there is a baby, it's going to be my family, so take your Miss Mystic Fall's ass somewhere else. Do not ruin this for me."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Look, Rebekah. I understand. Family first, whatever. I mean, hey, if I make it a thousand years, who knows how I'm going to mourn my rusty, dead uterus."

"There is nothing wrong with my uterus." Rebecca snapped into the phone.

"Did you really just get defensive about this?" Caroline asked, pausing in her rant. "Okay, fine. Let's forget for a moment we're dead. You've a great uterus. Personally, I've enjoyed the complete lack of menstrual cycle, but whatever. Maybe it means more when you were raised during a time when breeding was your best feature? Oh, who cares. Back to my point. Usually your brother can ignite the panties of everyone around him at like, a hundred yards. That wet noodle in there made me want put more clothes on."

"Caroline. I cannot tell you how much I don't care about your panties."

Caroline shrugged. "That's fair. But Klaus usually does. And, you know, ignoring the weird, washed out version of myself glowering like some strange blowup doll, your brother did not hit on me. He did not make a single pass. He didn't even try one of those ridiculous pick up lines that make me want to hit him. Repeatedly."

"To which I reply, thank God. Although his taste in women has not improved."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Can you please concentrate?"

"On what?" Rebecca asked. "You've said absolutely nothing of interest."

"Off the top of my head? How the fuck did he get her pregnant in the first place? What kind of ridiculousness is 'Nature's loophole', why are you trusting witches, and when has your family ever settled? Hell, if we'd pulled a fraction of this nonsense when Klaus first showed up, he'd have razed Mystic Falls, set it on fire and salted the earth. What is wrong with you people?"

Rebecca was silent for a long time. "You might have a small point. Very small."

"Great. Fabulous." She slid into her rental and slammed the door behind her. "Do me a favor and when you figure out at which point Klaus lost his balls and then take them out of whatever witches' purse they're tucked into - tell him I said he's an idiot."

Disconnecting the call, Caroline backed the car out if the parking spot she'd illegally commandeered and headed for the highway.

This kind of crazy just didn't wash off.

There was no way she was believing Klaus-the-Hybrid-Asshole had baby fever. Or that those man-tears were real.

And seriously, what was up with that blond?

Shuddering, Caroline pressed harder to the gas petal and fled.


	4. Chapter 4: Part 1

"Go away Rebekah," Klaus said irritably, the tread of feet on wood flooring loud in the relative silence. "I'm not in the mood."

The morning has started off decently enough, but the afternoon had descended into a bit of chaos, with his family making enough racket to wake the dead. Any attempts at a quiet, calm afternoon painting was ruined, so he'd retired to the library in the hopes of avoiding his sister's drama.

In vain, apparently.

He set his teeth and closed his eyes for patience as the door opened. A faint, whisper of perfume had his spine stiffening even as his intruder spoke.

"Don't say a word."

Klaus lowered his book in shock, blinking at the sight of Caroline Forbes. She was dressed down in sneakers and jeans, hair pulled back in a messy bun. Her eyes were clear, no sign of tears. Still, she looked worn.

She met his gaze as she continued her approach. "I am not here. This never happened."

Brows bunching together, his lips parted and she violently shook her head. Caroline didn't say another word, just toed off her shoes and climbed onto the couch he'd sprawled across.

Body tight with shock, Klaus was still she crawled up the length of him and pressed her face into his neck. Slowly, agonizingly aware of how each inch of her was pressed against him - breast, stomach, thighs - he swallowed down his surprise.

"Not a word." She repeated, fingers digging into his shirt; breath hot and damp against his neck. Closing his eyes for a moment, he slowly relaxed under the press of her. Just as slowly, the tight, wary lines of her eased. Carefully, he shifted until he could wrap one arm around the back of her, casually lifting his book back to his line of sight.

She trembled against him and then sighed, shifting her cheek to his shoulder, hands loosening their tight grip. Still, Caroline made no move to leave, so Klaus delicately turned the page, eyes unseeing.

He could wait.

Hand stroking down her spine, Klaus settled in for the afternoon.


	5. Chapter 4: Part 2

A little bit of smut here. Just a tad.

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Caroline woke slowly. She was comfortable in ways she hadn't been in days; her previous exhaustion no longer dragging at her bones, even if she was still tired. Fluttering her lashes open, she couldn't quite bring herself to tense when she realized she was in the exact same position as when she'd fallen asleep.

Klaus was warm beneath her, his hand moving slowly through her hair. For a moment, she considered trying to flash off him, to avoid the conversation she knew he'd want - instead she sighed and closed her eyes. What point was running? She'd approached him, crawled onto this couch and all but forced him to hold her.

And he'd stayed silent, letting her have the sleep, the comfort she'd desperately needed. And now he was waiting her out with his fingers tangled in her hair. There was no avoiding this - what she'd likely changed between them.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Caroline finally murmured, breaking the relaxed silence between them.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Klaus replied, voice soft and low as he smoothed her hair.

"Really?" She tried, but her voice held no bite. He made an amused noise, but said nothing else. Caroline tried to work up the energy to move, but God, for the first time in weeks she was actually resting. No plotting, no worry about ex-boyfriends and no hunters.

She was waiting for the guilt. That in her exhausted paranoia she felt safer with Klaus, than at the Salvatore's - safer than her own bed. If she could just… ignore the bone deep contentment, she'd be fine.

Sighing, because she was tired and wanted more sleep, she forced her muscles to engage. "I should go."

Klaus twisted suddenly, and Caroline found herself underneath him, his body a warm weight against hers. "Why?"

She blinked. His face was curious, the line of him a distraction she didn't need as he watched her. Swallowing, she steeled herself, ignored the butterflies.

"It's getting late."

His eyes trailed over her face. "Yes. It is."

Caroline arched both brows. "Will you let me up?"

"I'm deciding." He mused, gaze lingering on her lips. She felt a spike of awareness in her gut, but she didn't have the good sense to be afraid.

"Klaus…"

"Why did you come to me, Caroline?" Klaus questioned, eyes glittering. "Exhausted, worn and vulnerable - you choose the monster's den. Why?"

Caroline bit her lip, watched his eyes darken. "It's not important."

His lips curved; his eyes turning feral. "You crawled into my arms unbidden, pressed these enticing curves against me for hours, and you think I'll let it go? I can be indulgent, little vampire, but we both know I have limits."

"The hunters know where I live," Caroline finally said, tone weary. "Let's just chalk this to temporary insanity."

"You need blood," he mused.

Caroline blinked at the abrupt change in topic, gasped in surprise as Klaus pulled her into a sitting position, her knees bracketing his hips as his hands cradled her close.

"What are you doing?" She asked, eyes wide. His lips brushed her jaw, touch careful against her skin.

"When was the last time you fed?"

She leaned back against his hold, huffed when he didn't let her move far. "I'll swing by the boarding house for snack. It'll be fine."

"Or you can eat now," Klaus cajoled, hands and words tempting. "Stay the night, and I'll provide breakfast before dealing with the hunters."

Caroline shook her head but he just smiled. "Sweetheart, you're pale and we both know if you'd had the strength, you'd have already left. Instead, you stayed curled around me like a cat, content in my arms and in my home."

"Let's not read into that," Caroline said stubbornly.

"I don't have to. You'd never have come here, never have slept if you didn't feel safe." His fingers stroked down her spine and she shivered, teeth catching her lower lip. "Why not take me up on my hospitality a little further?"

"We both know why," she said exasperated. "I'll be fine."

"Shall we test that?" Klaus mused, his amusement indulgent.

"What?" Her brows tucked together, suddenly uncertain. He laughed low in his throat, the predator who'd cornered his prey. Hand leaving her back, gaze holding hers, his nails gouged into the skin of his neck; blood rising to the surface. Caroline froze, eyes darkening as her gums burned. He angled his head.

"Go on, sweetheart. Why not have just a little taste?"

She struggled, lips parting and he grinned at her, running a bloody fingertip along her lip. She shuddered, throat burning as she tried to ignore the temptation so close to her tongue.

"Remember how good I tasted, Caroline? How warm I was coating your throat?" He rubbed her bottom lip, the heavy sent of his blood drawing her fangs. "Just a taste and you can pull away."

Her tongue flickered out without her permission, and Caroline moaned. Desperate, a little helpless, she leaned forward to sink her teeth into the healing wounds, hands grasping his shirt tightly as she took greedy mouthfuls. He ran his hand under her shirt, kneaded the tight muscles of her back; encouraged her to relax.

"Poor baby vampire," he crooned. "Look at you love, all wound up."

His fingers slid down her abdomen and flicked open her jeans. She unlatched her fangs, heaving out a breath as he brushed against her clit.

"Shhhh, sweetheart," Klaus soothed, fingers sliding into her panties. His voice was coaxing, tone a little rough as he touched her. "Let me sate this need as well; work off some of this stress. It feels so good, doesn't it? My blood in your mouth, my fingers against your clit; let me indulge you, what your body wants so desperately."

Caroline's head was swimming, high on endorphins from his blood and the slow stroke of his fingers. She pressed her face against his shoulder, shuddering as he curled two fingers inside her. Panting against his skin, she moaned as his thumb pressed against her clit.

"That's a good girl," Klaus breathed as her hips rocked against his hand. "Just a little more, love. Can you feel how wet you are, how tightly you're clenching around my fingers? Just a little more, sweetheart. There."

Caroline came in long, slow waves; Klaus' shirt caught tight between her hands. He coaxed her through the aftershocks, until the line of his body was the only thing holding her up. Sliding his hand free of her clothes, murmured low in her ear, the language one she didn't understand; soothing her trembling body with his hands; rocking slowly until she'd settled. Then Klaus stood, her thighs hooked over his hips, body loose and pliant.

"I should go home," Caroline mumbled, lashes fluttering heavily against his neck.

"Tomorrow," Klaus cajoled, hand rubbing up and down her back. "Tomorrow I'll render the hunters limb from limb."

"Klaus," She sighed as he walked, head cradled in the curve of his shoulder.

"Shhh, love." Klaus' lips pressed against her temple, the curve of his lips warm against her skin. They passed through a doorway, and he lowered her onto a bed that smelled like him, hands sliding her free of her jeans as she gave in to the urge to sleep; the pleasure from his blood and her orgasm leaving her languid. "You're safe."

She fell asleep a second time to the sensation of fingers in her hair.


	6. Chapter 5

Caroline's back hit the wall, hard enough to bruise if she'd still been human. Hissing out a breath, she glared at the hybrid who pressed into her. Klaus rested his forearms on either side of her head and smiled, eyes hard.

"Hello, love."

"Do not manhandle me." Caroline growled between clenched teeth. He laughed, the sound hard and grating. Her mouth ran dry at the expression on his face.

He knew.

"Tell me, Caroline, did you and Tyler really think I'd remain ignorant of your ruse?"

Caroline swallowed painfully. "It's not a ruse."

He lowered one hand to toy with one of her curls, smile biting. "Come now love, the truth. Is Tyler trying to free himself and the others from their sire bond, to proclaim himself some sort of alpha in my stead?"

Caroline's stomach muscles locked up. The knowing smile on his face was so at odds with the iron rage behind his eyes. More importantly, she was standing on her front porch, her mother sleeping upstairs, and Klaus was watching her with a killing rage.

"Yes."

His face closed off, and Caroline braced herself for a tantrum. His hand in her chest. Instead, he leaned close, gaze like ice. "And you're little break up scene?"

Her lower lip trembled before she could catch it between her teeth, but she held back the rest of it. Squaring her shoulders, she held his gaze. "Tyler and I are done."

It hurt, saying it. It cut like a knife through her chest, felt like lead in her mouth. But she wouldn't show Klaus that. Wouldn't give him those cracks in her armor to dig his fingers into and pry her apart.

His body remained a cage, even as the hand not toying with her hair left the wall, curving around the line of her jaw. His thumb ghosted across her bottom lip and she narrowed her eyes in warning.

"Good." Klaus said flatly. Caroline jerked. It'd hurt, to find out that she was being used. Hurt to know that her boyfriend had cheated on her. Mouth opening to snap a response, her voice died as he leaned in close enough that their noses brushed. She went still, wary at his proximity.

"Here is what is going to happen, sweetheart." He tugged lightly on the hair wound around his fingers, the gesture one an affectionate boyfriend might make. "I'm going to kill any of my hybrids that are no longer sired to me. Then I'll drain Tyler dry of vervain - he was smart enough for vervain? - and then I'll simply compel his loyalty instead. And you, sweet Caroline, will do nothing."

"Why not?" She might be hurt, be pissed as hell, but Tyler had been her friend once.

He leaned back a little, expression amused. "Because your mother is upstairs and I can come and go as I please. Because Tyler cheated on you with a soon-to-be dead werewolf. There are consequences to our choices, love, and this is yours."

Spine straightening, Caroline glared at him. "Do not threaten my mother."

His kissed was unexpected, mouth hot and demanding against hers. It tore through her defenses - the scrap of teeth, the scalding lick of his tongue. The hand on her jaw softened, cradling instead of forcing, and her lips parted with a moan. His hand fisted in her hair, the hard line of him pushed her into the wall. Caroline's hands curled desperately into Klaus' shirt as his tongue slid against hers, every part of him demanding.

His fingertips smoothed over her cheekbone as he pulled back, eyes feral and determined. Caroline stared up at him, shaken at her own response.

"In three days' time, I will come for the first donation of blood from the doppelgänger. She'll continue to donate once a month for the rest of her life. In exchange, I'll not kill Tyler and I'll not kill the Salvatore brothers." Klaus stroked her hair away from her face, gaze intent.

"You already said you'd compel Tyler." Caroline retorted, eyes narrowing.

"There's my girl," he murmured. "Yes. Tyler is mine. I gave him a gift. I gave all of them a gift. Now I'll take payment. But here is my gift to you, sweet Caroline."

She watched him, wary.

"Time. Enjoy your mother, your friends. Live your human life with those fleeting, human dreams. But one day, I'll walk back in your life, and we'll finish what we started here." He slid both hands down her cheeks, cradled her jaw so lightly in his hands. The promise in his eyes made her heart pound. "When that day comes, you'll give your loyalty to me."

"Loyalty cannot be demanded."

"Oh love, it can. And I will have it. Be grateful, sweetheart." He smiled at her, a wild, feral thing that spoke of fur and claw, the sharp edge of fangs. "You've time to learn."

Another fast, whisper of a kiss and he was gone. Caroline shivered, arms wrapped tight around her middle for a moment. He'd given her a promise and a threat, and she didn't know how to take it. Blinking hard at the unexpected burn of tears, she went inside.

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	7. Chapter 6

"Well, Sheriff Forbes, I must say this is a surprise." Klaus opened the door wide between them, amusement coloring his face. "Please, come in."

Liz did as he requested, letting her eyes roam the obvious and subtle wealth as the moved into a small sitting room. She spoke before he could offer her a seat, determined to have her say and leave.

"I had an interesting discussion with my daughter." She reached into her bag, pulled out the rolled paper she fought with her Caroline over not even an hour ago. "I believe this is yours."

He touched it, dimples cutting deep. "She kept it."

"I also heard there was a bracelet."

"She keeps giving it back." He smiled at her, eyes dancing. "It's darling, really."

"Stop stalking my daughter."

The smile faded from his face, and Klaus head canted to the side. "Is that what she told you this was?"

"My daughter is eighteen years old." Liz said firmly. "My understanding is that you're somewhere around a millennia. Do you think I'm unaware that you were responsible - if not directly involved with that werewolf bite that almost killed Caroline? And now I'm finding gifts."

"Yes." Klaus walked to a beautiful side table were a decanter and pair of tumblers rested. He turned and lifted a questioning glass; Liz shook her head. "I'm certainly aware of your daughter's youth. She's a mere child, two years into her eternity. Tell me, Sheriff during the discussion you had, did she use the word 'unwanted?'"

Liz frowned at him. "Caroline assured me that she'd always been honest."

Klaus laughed. "Oh, that she is. But you see Sheriff, what is between your daughter and I, it's already too late for you to interfere. Obsession, that is not an incorrect assessment - but while I've pushed, and rooted out those small, telling cracks in her rather formidable defenses, I've not forced. Not with her. So your request that I cease stalking, well, I'll have to reject on the grounds that my attentions - all my attentions - are simply not unwanted."

His eyes lowered to the table she'd left the delicate drawing on. Liz went still at his silent implication. If she'd hated him, wanted him entirely removed from her life, Caroline would have burned the sketch.

"She's my daughter." Liz said quietly. "The world you live in, it might be her choice to involve herself, but as you said, she's still young."

"It is not wise, Sheriff Forbes, to give an old and powerful monster something precious. To care for." Klaus looked at her with a biting smile. "Then, once given, to try to take it away. I commend you for your effort - your daughter obviously loves you a great deal. But I must ask, where were you months ago as she was dangled like bait; when she used my fascination and interest to protect her friends, to cover their schemes?"

"I assure you, that will not be happening again." Liz said firmly, unwillingly to show him that flinch. The lingering hurt from words exchanged with a daughter she'd refused to see as an adult. How close she'd come that morning to crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed. The truce was tentative, but Liz thought they could work past it.

"I'm afraid it's quite to late for the concerned mother routine, Sheriff. But don't fret. Your daughter has bought herself some time." Klaus said as he sipped at his drink.

"What are you talking about?" Liz demanded.

"Ah, she left that out of her discussion with you? I imagine she didn't realize you'd be coming by to say hello." Klaus smiled. "It was quite commendable of her. I'm sure you've noticed that the doppelgänger is now a vampire? Quite an epidemic recently."

"Yes," Liz said, suddenly uneasy. The creature in front of her knew it, smile widening. "I've noticed."

"I flirted with the idea of destroying the town - razing this miserable, backwoods community with fire and salt - as punishment. You see, I've just recently started to acquire the army I've been imaging for centuries - now I've set back by at least five centuries."

"What does Caroline have to do with this?"

"Sweet Caroline actually had little to do with my recent desiccation and my sisters choice of revenge." Klaus swirled the amber liquid in his glass and shrugged. "I've a bit of a temper, and being forced to wear someone else's bones can make a man unreasonably furious. So Caroline offered me a deal."

"No." Liz said forcibly.

"Oh, don't worry, Sheriff. By the time Caroline lives up to her end, you'll be cold in the grave." His smile was a thing of teeth and need. "Don't look so pale, it's not such a terrible agreement, even for your beloved child. In fact, my siblings and I will be leaving Mystic Falls in a day."

"What did she promise you?" Liz whispered, nails biting into palms.

"What I've wanted since I cured her of Tyler's bite; since she defied me, tantalized me with her smiles and gave me those small, glimmering glimpses of her mind. A chance." Klaus looked at her - let the bones, the muscle of his monster crawl across his face; he opened the pit behind his eyes.

"Caroline Forbes has seen what I am. She has faced down the nightmare, has looked into the trench and laughed. She knows what I am and yet, she choose to strike the deal."

"A chance," Liz said slowly, shaken by what she was looking at. "For what?"

"Her, of course. Oh, she had stipulations. I found them rather telling. It wasn't so much her concern for her friends lives that drove her, but yours."

Liz closed her eyes.

"As long as you live, Sheriff Forbes, I will not approach your daughter. So cling to whatever human fantasies make it easier to acknowledge her. Encourage her schooling, your amusing human traditions - but know that once she's laid you to rest, once your bones are incased in earth and wood, I'll be there. Waiting with the world at my fingertips."

"You plan to be her emotional support?" Liz demanded, eyes opening to glare. "To sweep in while she'd weak?"

"Caroline is amazingly self-sufficient where her emotions are concerned; I hear that happens when a child is abandoned physically my their father and emotionally by their mother. I'll be there for her in whatever capacity she needs, Sheriff, which is an entirely different matter than what she'll want. Can you say the same?"

Liz set her jaw. "I love my daughter."

"Which is the only reason you still live." Klaus said calmly. "But be very careful in the coming years, Liz. I'd consider early retirement."

"Is that a threat?"

"Just a friendly piece of advice. Your life is the hourglass that my bargain ticks. If I was interested in threats, I'd point out that you came here alone. Probably without telling anyone about this little chat. While you're on vervain, it's easy enough to tie you to a chair and flush it from your system using a few transfusions. Then it's just be a matter of layering the compulsions I want.

But I'm not interested in those kind of threats. I don't need them. What I've started with Caroline has taken root. What are a few mere decades when I have eternity? And the truth is Sheriff, you think so as well."

"You cannot know that." Liz ground out. "I think nothing of the sort."

He smiled. "You brought me my drawing. Came with warnings and a mother's plea. No point in that, if you hadn't seen something that shook you. No, Sheriff, I wish you a long and healthy life. I've the time. Because when it's done, Caroline is mine. I prefer not to share pieces of her heart, I'm selfish like that. Now, I believe we are finished here."

Liz sat in her car in front of the station, fingers tight on her steering wheel. Thought about both conversations she'd had that day, wondered at them. A monster loved her daughter. The bane and nightmare of the supernatural, the creature Damon had warned her about, the one who never made bargains and only took what he wanted…

A chance. No guarantee, no promises of companionship. Just a chance. As if that was all he needed. All he wanted.

"Oh Caroline, what have you gotten into?"

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	8. Chapter 7

So I wasn't going to write anything else today, but then I was trying to respond to livingdeadblondequeen's response to my other drabble… and this happened instead. I have no idea if this is what she'd in mind, but anyway. This happened.

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"You kept it."

Caroline jumped. Dropping the towel that she'd been using to dry the ends of her hair, she scowled at the hybrid standing near her desk. Thank God she'd dressed before exiting the bathroom.

"Okay, first, this? This is not okay. Even ignoring the fact that I wasn't supposed to have to deal with you again until decades from now - barging into a girl's room while she's bathing is a no."

"You've no reason to be shy, love."

"This has nothing to do with shyness. This has everything to do with boundaries and the fact you need some. So no, you cannot enter my bedroom without permission and I'd prefer you to not enter my house without permission either, but I'll take baby-steps."

His smile caught somewhere in her chest.

"So, you'll keep my drawings," Klaus murmured, voice thoughtful as he studied her. "But not the jewelry. Some would consider the former more intimate, love."

"Seriously?" Caroline heaved out an irritated breath, hands sliding to her hips. "That's it?"

He shrugged, taking several casual steps towards her. "As you said, I should be gone. And the next time we meet, I don't plan on boundaries being a necessity."

"Well, I do." Caroline raised her chin.

"Backing out of our deal?" Klaus drawled, eyes glittering.

"Now your insulting me." Caroline retorted. "You don't get it both ways. Either you believe me when I made our deal or you don't. As for my end of it, this conversation isn't helping your case."

"Ah, then allow me to change that." Klaus pushed a wet strand of hair behind her ear, eyes dark. Predatory. "In the decades between us, I'll find myself drawing you: the curve of your cheek, the fire in your eyes, the shape of your mouth. And it'll be inadequate. I'll think of you - your smell, your smile - and the memory will be merely crumbs to a man starving. You've bargained for time. So be it. But this itch, this burn in our veins is not so easily ignored. Time will not erode it. So play human, love. Give yourself time to come to terms with this. I'll be at the other end."

Caroline licked her lips, fought for composure. "Still so sure of yourself. So certain you'll want me."

"Oh, want has never been the concern, sweetheart. Have you wondered why, bargain struck and promise bound by your blood, that I haven't reached for you? Why I didn't demand more from your lips? You linger in my blood like an ache, but it's one I relish. You've given me decades to plan, to consider. I could kiss you now, give you a taste of my need. Do you think about what it'd be like - your lips open beneath mine, my tongue against yours, the feel of my hands on your breasts?" He watched her from beneath his lashes, expression stark. "Wanting you does not even begin to adequately describe what is between us."

Caroline shuddered out a breath. "No."

"Hold on to this determination, little Caroline. You'll need it, and I do so enjoy the chase. You've given me a bargain that can only work in my favor." He feathered his thumb across her lips. "Time is my greatest gift, she and I are old allies."

"I've given you no guarantees," Caroline said stubbornly. His eyes met hers, and the expression burned through her.

"I need none."

Caroline took a step away from his hands, swallowed. "How did you know I kept your drawing?"

Sudden laughter made his eyes glint, cheeks crease. "I've suspected where you inherited your fire, that tantalizing determination to protect from. It was such a delight to see it in person."

Caroline froze, eyes widening. "You spoke to my mom?"

His smile widened. "The scourge of the supernatural in your bedroom, and it's your mother who frightens you."

"What did you tell her?" Caroline demanded, pushing into his face with a scowl. "My mom is off limits."

Klaus cupped her face, lips brushing her brow. "How I adore you, sweetheart. Remember our bargain. Your mother's lifespan without my unnecessary supernatural drama, and in exchange your safety and a promise. Best avoid those pesky risks your friends like involve you in Caroline, for I will respond with force should I hear of a single avoidable incident."

"Klaus!"

"Goodbye love." Klaus paused, eyes taking in her frustrated, grumpy face. "Think of me."

Caroline growled, huffing at the sudden emptiness of her bedroom. Turning to finish up for the night, she paused at the two sketches he'd left behind on her desk. The first was the one he'd originally drawn her, with the horse. The second was of her mother. Wearing her uniform, brows bunched slightly in annoyance, but it was her eyes that caught Caroline. Determined, weary… her jaw was set in a stubborn, familiar expression.

There was no caption, but there didn't need to be. Klaus had made his point. Caroline touched her mother's face with careful fingertips.

She would think of him.

 _Ass._

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	9. Chapter 8

"So you're Caroline."

Caroline turned, frowned at the unfamiliar vampire standing on her porch. She was exhausted. Being a vampire did not, in fact, save you from finals kicking your ass. Plus, the entire Silas mess was becoming an actual issue instead of an annoyance, and Bonnie was way to friendly with the psychotic Kol. God, how she cursed the day that vampire had wandered into their lives.

Wait, hadn't Kol been blabbering on about a brother? Her brain was fried by too much studying, but she was pretty sure she'd caught bits and pieces of the story the evening before. Well, parts of it. Something to do with doppelgängers and hybrids. The important part had been additional help - she was tired of digging through old texts with only a bag of B+ to hold her over. Someone else could do it.

The creeper on her porch was staring.

"Your Kol's brother. The one with the army."

Okay. Those dimples were unexpected. So was the odd, courtly bow. "The name your looking for is Klaus."

Caroline shifted her bag and frowned at him. "Okay. Hi. Why are you bothering me?"

He tilted his head, gaze considering. "I must say, you're not exactly what I expected."

"Uh huh. Well, Mr. Expectations, its sort of been a shitty week around here, I'm sure Kol filled you in on all the details; so if you have a point to this meet and greet, find it."

Klaus smiled at her, but his eyes were iron. "The last person who took that tone with me, lost their tongue. Among other things."

He probably meant that. She was too tired to care. "Uh huh. Have you ever survived finals week?"

He blinked. "What?"

"You know, University? In all the years you've been ancient, you haven't completed at least one degree?"

"Of course I have."

"Great. Then when I tell you that trying to save the world plus the horror that is business law is exhausting and I'm honestly way too tired to give any fucks about your precious man ego, the likelihood of you torturing me should fall somewhere about forty-sixty." Caroline shoved her wayward hair out of her face. "But please, if it makes you feel better, go on with the threats. It'll probably bother me in a few hours. Post-nap."

Klaus tilted his head, lips curving. "Well, I see why Kol hasn't killed you."

"Lucky me." Caroline blinked when he was suddenly lose enough to touch. Leaning forward, he dimpled at her.

"You killed thirteen witches."

"Bonnie is my friend." Caroline said stubbornly. "She important. I'm pretty sure Kol and I already fought over this."

"Hmmm." His lashes lowered. "And the she-wolf?"

Caroline pursed her lips. "Seriously? How many times do we need to be betrayed before dealing with her? And why are you judging me?"

"I'm curious."

Caroline held up her hand and took a step back. "Be curious later."

She stiffened when he caught her wrist. Blinked in shock when he brought her wrist to his mouth, lips searing against her skin. The faintest flick of his tongue.

The unexpected rush of heat in her veins.

"My brother has told me about you, Caroline Forbes. How such a young vampire has held her own against an Original and Silas' minions. How you defended your werewolf boyfriend and only killed the woman he betrayed you with when she tried to harm your friends. I'm fascinated."

Mouth dry, she shook her head. "Ex-boyfriend. I'm not that interesting."

He laughed against her skin, letting her hand skid free of his hold, callouses dragging against her skin. "I'll be seeing you, love."

Caroline stared at the empty space in front of her. Wrist burning; skin hypersensitive.

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	10. Chapter 9

"I was thinking about you today."

There was a pause, the faintest of hitching breaths. "Caroline."

"Hello, Klaus."

She didn't begrudge him the surprised silence. The decade between them had been a long one; she'd kept an ear to the supernatural politics. God, had she ever imagined so much could happen in ten years?

She'd left behind her past - had tried to slough Mystic Falls off like painful weight. The chains of her childhood, the holds on her heartstrings had been so hard to let go of and it'd taken her a long time to be okay with that. Maybe that was what really being an adult was about. Learning to say no. Realizing that you were important, that your life had value because it was yours, not because other people gave it meaning. She was the meaning.

Today, Caroline was sprawled on a beach looking at the moon, the sand still damp under her calves. Talking to a monster. Listening to someone who might be a friend. Maybe more.

"I didn't expect to hear from you," Klaus said finally, voice careful. Cautious. "How are you doing, love?"

Caroline laughed, smiling up at the glimmering stars. Wasn't that like him? He'd kept the same number; for reasons she could only hope, and now as she bridged the silence he was uncertain.

She liked it.

"You can't just expect a girl to show up, demanding her dreams, Klaus. It doesn't work like that." Her words were gentle, but the meaning was clear. Grown Up Caroline could chase her own dreams, find them on her own.

"Yet, you called me." He pointed out, something soft in his voice.

Caroline hummed an agreement. "I thought about you today."

"Oh?" Surprise, a little cautious delight. Curiosity.

Caroline flung out her free arm, surprisingly content. With this. With him. "I went to Paris."

A shuffle, feet hitting the floor. She tried to picture him - legs and feet sprawled across the couch, notebook in his lap - and closed her eyes. "Did you enjoy it?"

"How well do you know the catacombs?" Caroline asked, voice curious. The question had been building on her tongue for weeks, curiosity, as always, a pull between them.

"Now, that's an interesting place." Klaus said slowly, and she could almost hear that quirking smile. "Rebekah was particularly adept at their passages. Why?"

"I snuck away from my tour," Caroline confessed. "I got lost of course, but it was fun. Creepy, but fun."

"Are you still in France?"

"No." Caroline dug her toes into the sand. "I'm on a beach. It's night, no one else is here, and I'm counting the stars."

"And what about this delightful picture called me to mind, sweetheart?" Klaus' words were light, almost teasing, as if she couldn't hear the thrumming beneath his words; as if she didn't know him well enough to catch the curiosity. The nervousness.

Her smile widened. Because she could hear it. Ten years between them and she still caught the words unsaid, even just like this. And something cautious, something warm unfurled in her chest.

"I miss you."

She almost felt his inhale, heard his notepad hit something - table, floor? - and waited. Caroline didn't know if either of them were ready for what this might become, but it was the truth. She wasn't lonely, not really; but being by herself wasn't something she actively needed anymore, either.

"Caroline."

Just her name, his voice a little ragged.

"I was thinking about Rome." She caught her lip, chewed it for a moment, surprised at the butterflies. "Interested in buying me a gelato?"

A surprised laugh, something slightly rusted. That was okay. She didn't mind.

"Just a gelato?" Klaus teased, tone rich, the heat turning his voice smooth.

"Well now," she responded, not quite able to keep her voice from lowering in response. "That'll depend. I'm particular about my ice cream."

"A challenge then."

Did he wear the same smile she did? Happy, stretching until her cheeks hurt? Or were his lashes heavy, gaze calculating as he worked out every possible angle? She'd no doubt that he'd have a hundred temptations behind his eyes; she knew how he felt against her skin, the intensity of his focus as he absorbed the smallest, barest of reactions. How those hands and lips could tempt.

"Uh huh. I'll call you in a few days, then." Her voice was a little breathless, but she didn't mind. Caroline knew he felt it to - more, if his feelings still sat in his chests like weights - and maybe it was time he didn't feel that way alone.

"Until then, love."

Caroline disconnected the call and stretched out with a content sigh. He'd probably arrive ahead of her, plotting, and that was okay. She should make him wait, hit all the obnoxious tourists spots, see how long it's take him to find her. But she wouldn't.

Ten years was long enough.

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	11. Chapter 10

The door opened with a male grunt followed by the breathy, heavy moan of a woman. The sound of stumbling footsteps and erratic heartbeats. They brought with them the heavy smell of the woods, the unmistakeable scent of sex and the faintest trace of blood. He knew the moment they saw him, the sudden silence cutting through the air like a knife. The hammering of their jackrabbit hearts.

"Hello, Tyler."

Klaus finished the shading for his sketch and looked up, taking in his wayward hybrid's stunned silence. Tyler looked disheveled, clothing ripped in places, leaves and dirt smeared across his visible skin. The she-wolf behind him was in a similar state of undress, breasts nearly on display.

Lowering his legs to the floor, he canted his head to the side and smiled. "Am I interrupting something?"

Tyler's face was pale, jaw and shoulders locked up. Klaus watched in amusement as the girl made a move to shift closer to the door they'd locked behind them.

"I wouldn't," Klaus said mildly. "Making a run for it would just aggravate me. And you'd never make it out the door. Of course, if you'd like to have this conversation while healing injuries… the femur is such an interesting bone, I've been told it breaking it is comparable to childbirth. Shall we test it?"

"What are you doing here?" Tyler asked finally, fists clenching. "How'd you find me?"

"Sit." Klaus said, eyes lowering back to his sketch, pencil sliding across the page. "And don't worry about introductions. Hayley, wasn't it? Do cover yourself."

They sat across from him on the dingy little couch, Hayley holding the edges of her shirt together with a white knuckles grip. Her face was stark, but it was the calculation there instead of fear that amused him. He did so enjoy it when the children thought they could find his loopholes, wiggle out of their fate.

In all his years, only Katerina had surprised him… the blond, baby vampire in Mystic Falls something else. A tugging on long dead heartstrings. And wasn't that fascinating? That a creature like him could still feel. For a mere child with iron in her spine and fire in her eyes.

"Why are you here?" Tyler finally bit out. The false bravado was entertaining, but Klaus hadn't expected anything else. To cower now would be a disappointment.

Pity if Tyler was already broken, when they hadn't even started.

"Tyler, Tyler, Tyler," Klaus closed his notebook and shook his head, tsking. "Do you think me a fool? I cannot help but wonder at the youthful arrogance that drove you here, this belief that you could hide. Do you think I'm unaware of your schemes - ah, you did. Shall I humor you then? Why are you here in the wilds of the Appalachia's and not at home? Please, enlighten me."

Tyler said nothing, face stony.

"No?" Klaus glanced over at Hayley, considered the she-wolf next to him. "Does pretty little Caroline know of this particular indiscretion?"

"Leave Care out of this," Tyler said furiously, lunging to his feet.

"Sit." Klaus said firmly, iron crawling into his eyes. Tyler's face melted into shock as his body followed the order. Klaus steepled his fingers, smirked. "I think you'll find I can do whatever I want, Tyler. Do you think she loves you?"

"She'll never love you," Tyler ground out.

Klaus laughed, dimples flashing. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong. It won't be today, and it won't be tomorrow, but the creature that lives under Caroline's skin - it already belongs to me."

"Don't you touch her," Tyler warned.

"Or what? You'll fight me? Swear revenge? Kill me?" His voice was low, mocking as he continued to watch the defiant child in front of him. "A thousand years, and you imagine yourself to be the hero who'd take me down?"

Tyler was struggling with his rage, nails turning his palms bloody. Hayley on the other hand was silent - shoulders tense - but otherwise calm. Amused, he glanced back at Tyler.

"As for dear Caroline, I don't have to do a thing where she is concerned." Klaus shook his head. "When you return to Mystic Falls, you'll be heart broken of course, but it's time for you to move on. What this pack offers you - a belonging - well, that's more than a baby vampire can give you, isn't it?"

Tyler shook his head. "That will never happen, she'd never believe it."

Klaus arched both brows. "Here you are, finding companionship in the arms of a pale, inconsequential substitute, but you imagine she'd never believe you'd abandon her? Haven't you already down those seeds, with your disappearances?"

"She knows…" Tyler's jaw clicked close and Klaus leaned back.

"She knows that your trying to break the sire-bond? Of course she does. She'd even have encouraged it. Caroline has suffered before, at the hands of another. She'd hardly want to see another face the same fate." Klaus shrugged. "Particularly one she cares for, regardless of the uselessness of those feelings."

"What are you talking about?" Tyler said lowly, eyes confused.

"Oh Tyler, if you do not already know, it's hardly my place to educate you. The inner workings of Caroline Forbes are no longer of your concern."

"She'll know your involved." Tyler said flatly. "She knows I love her."

"Yes, I can see your devotion." He flicked his eyes to Hayley, arched a brow.

Tyler flushed, jaw clenching white. "It was a mistake."

"Oh, I'd certainly call it that. But it certainly was deliberate. What excuse did you plan? What plea for forgiveness… unless you'd hoped to keep this quiet?" Klaus clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Caroline is hardly a fool, regardless of how any of you treat her. A man looks at a woman differently once he's seen her naked, when he's buried his cock inside her. But she's a forgiving soul, I imagine she'd try to let it go, to face your betrayal with her steel spine and soft heart. Thankfully we'll be skipping that step."

Wary now, Tyler pressed his hands to his thighs. "I'm not helping you. Not with the other hybrids, not with Caroline. I'm done."

Klaus laughed, smile bright and dimples flashing. "I think I'll miss your entertainment value if nothing else. Oh, Tyler. How shortsighted you are. Your mistake is to think in weeks, years. I see the world through centuries. A prize like Caroline is not won in a mere month, a decade. And those soft, shattered pieces of her heart will need time - time I'm willing to give."

Hayley shifted on the couch, brows tucking together in confusion, alarm starting to build behind her eyes. Klaus kicked up his feet, laced his fingers across his abdomen and breathed in her fear. Enjoyed it.

That's right, little wolf. One doesn't just walk away from a conversation like this - the monster laying out his weaknesses. There is no escaping this lair.

"Your silence - while appreciated - shows that you still lack any understanding. Let me help you. I'm not here because of Caroline, as you've always been the slightest of obstacles. I'm not even here because of your burning desire to break the sire-bond, as you'd still have returned to Mystic Falls, to save the others." Klaus turned his head, looked at Hayley. "Tell me, Hayley, whose game are you playing?"

Tyler blinked, twisted. "Hayley?"

"I'm not playing anything," she stuttered. "I'm only here because of Tyler."

"Now, the first is clearly a lie. But I believe the second. Katherine would hardly have use for you - you're not as good at this game as you think. Katherine would use you as canon fodder, little else. So this means that someone else is interested in my hybrids, has thought to entangle themselves into my plans. How unfortunate for them. Who is it?"

Hayley shook her head, fists clenching. "No one."

Tyler stared at her. "Your working for someone? I thought…"

"That she was helping you out of the goodness of her heart? I can't imagine her mouth to be that talented." Klaus clucked his tongue in amusement. "Teenagers. The truth now, Hayley. I'm sure you've figured out that your life was forfeit the moment you laid eyes on what is mine. How quickly I grant your death has yet to be seen. Have you ever seen a man pull out their own tongue? It takes time, as the muscle is stubborn. It's a touch messy, and bleeding out takes time, but watching blood spill from lips, coating teeth can be inspiring. And there are so many other, painful ways one can grind their own bones. Shall I walk you through them?"

Her face was bone-white, lashes flickering as she looked for a way out. He honestly hoped she'd try. Finally, she shook her head.

"He's no one. Just a professor."

"And what did he promise you in return?"

She shook her head again, eyes lowering.

"Hayley, whatever his promise, I can assure you it will not come about. But I can be generous, let you choose the form of your death. Your choice."

"He's interested in someone named Silas," she whispered. "I don't know what he wants. I was to receive the details when we went back to Mystic Falls."

Klaus paused. "Now that is a surprise."

"Who is Silas?" Tyler asked, eyes flickering between them.

"No one of your concern." Klaus said, flipping open his phone to send a quick text. "The professors name?"

"Shane."

"Thank you, Hayley. Now be a good girl and sit quiet while I deal with Tyler. It appears tonight's entertainment must come to an end much quicker than I'd have preferred." Standing, he walked over to Tyler and smiled.

"The utter joy of compulsion, Tyler, is while it lingers in the dark crevices of your brain - settles in you marrow like poison - it is undetectable. It waits, a silent shadow." Klaus dimpled, eyes dancing. "Why should I depend on something flimsy, as breakable as a sire-bond to fulfill my wants when I can command obedience?"

"Im on vervain." Tyler said stiffly.

"Are you?" Klaus leaned forward, held Tyler's gaze with dark eyes. "Shove your hand into Hayley's chest, wrap your fingers around her heart and remove it."

Hayley lunged to her feet and Klaus caught her by her hair, slamming her to the floor. Ignoring her screams, he smiled as Tyler stood, eyes full of horror. "Go on."

Wasn't it amusing, the way she twisted about like a fish on land, scrambling for leverage even as Tyler sunk his fingers into her chest, hybrid features on display as he pulled out her heart.

"Eat it."

Hand shaking, Tyler brought the hot flesh to his lips, but into still beating muscle. Leaving Tyler for a moment, Klaus scooped up his sketch pad before crouching next to the horrified Hybrid. His first. Opening his sketch, he showed it to Tyler as he continued to eat.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

The sketch of Caroline was only half-finished, the long lines of her sprawled out on her stomach, hair a riotous mess of curls as she slept, sheets draped to show the bare skin of her back, the angle of her shoulder blades. A hint of breast. But it was the content expression on her face, the slightly parted lips that he liked the best.

"How does it feel to know you've lost?" Klaus asked curiously. "To know that you've lead me to a new pack of willing converts, that you're life is utterly useless and is now measured in weeks instead of decades?"

Tyler looked at him from glazed eyes, face smeared with blood. "I killed her."

"And then you ate her heart. Well done. You see Tyler, you were never without a compulsion. It's been rotting you from the inside out for weeks." He patted Tyler's cheek, eyes like iron. "You thought for five hundred years, I've plotted and I weighed my chances on thirteen, teenage werewolves? On loyalty? You're mine, Tyler Lockwood, down to the marrow of your bones. They all are."

Tyler shook his head, but said nothing, something defeated and broken behind his eyes. Klaus stood and smiled at him.

"I'll be seeing you soon, and remember what I told you. Caroline is mine. Give her the truth, your new truth, and then it'll be time for you to return here. Maybe I'll even let you die."

Humming, Klaus left the little cottage, satisfied with that nights work. The unearthing of another enemy. When would the humans learn that some monsters should remain asleep?

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	12. Chapter 11

"What did you think would happen, love?"

Caroline stilled, tightening her grip on the blanket she'd wrapped around her shoulders, tucking her bare feet a little closer to her knees; the swing slowly rocking. Sleep had alluded her, and what good was a house when the monsters of nightmares could just walk in?

Twisting slightly, she looked at Klaus, watched him approach her. His expression was moody, eyes glittering.

"Why are you here?" Caroline asked bluntly, ignoring his question.

"Thought I'd check on you," Klaus said, hands sliding into his pockets. "Make sure there were no lingering side effects."

Caroline scoffed. "Please.

"No?" Klaus drawled.

She looked away. Tightened her grip on the blankets. "I don't want to deal with you right now."

Klaus laughed, leaned close and stopped the rocking of the swing with his thigh. He pressed close and dragged a finger down the edge of the blanket. "That's too bad."

Caroline glared at him, refusing to flinch as he canted his head, watching her with little flecks of yellow in his eyes. Refused to remember the searing pain of his bite, the lingering lushness of his blood. The monster was watching her tonight, unfiltered by those slivers of humanity he'd shown her.

"You see, Caroline, I want you. How unfortunate for us both."

Her brows tucked tightly together. "You can't have me. I'm not a prize."

"Oh, sweetheart." Klaus' touch was featherlight, nearly tender against her cheek and such a contrast to the iron in his eyes. "I'm not one of your teenage lovers. I don't look at you and only think about a quick fuck, consider the chores and bribes necessary to coax you into wrapping those pretty lips around my cock. I look at you and I think of all the ways I can crawl under your skin, how I can possess every part of you. I'm a greedy, selfish nightmare and I'll drag you with me."

Caroline swallowed, and his fingers skimmed her chin. Veins crawled up his eyes, yellow catching the moonlight. Heart hammering in her chest, she stopped breathing as his lashes lowered, the truth of him stark.

"Do you know what it means when something like me cares, sweetheart? How I  
want your fantasies so I can fulfill them, your smiles, and your laughter so no one else can have them. I want your happiness, because for you to look to someone else for the simplest of needs, would be a death sentence; I'd destroy them in ways you cannot begin to imagine."

Caroline shook her head, leaning away from him. "Stop it."

"It's too late for that, love. So you think about me when your alone. You consider the safety of Tyler's arms - we both know he won't give you what you want, what you need. How does it feel, my love, to sleep alone even when he is beside you? Does he wrap his fingers in your hair and watch your eyes as you come, does he take even the simplest of joys from your arousal on his tongue?"

"You don't get to do this," Caroline whispered fiercely, chest heaving. "You don't get to make these declarations, when all you do is destroy."

"I'm the great devourer, sweetheart, and I'll never be satisfied. My thirst for you is a burning no blood can satisfy, now that I've tasted you; now that I've held you. So dig in your heels, fight me. But in the end, it'll be my bed you writhe upon, my body you crave, my hands to stroke and inflame; I'll brand myself into every part of you, until you can no longer imagine what it was before or what could come after me. And I will spend an eternity hoarding all the little pieces of you, until nothing has escaped my grasp."

Klaus leaned close, gaze drinking in her face - the wide pupils, parted lips, flushed cheeks; the wild look behind her eyes as he hammered at her defenses. The faintest tremble to that stubborn chin. Leaning back, he slid his hands to his pockets and stepped away, angling towards his mansion.

"Congratulations, sweetheart. You were right. Now we'll both have to live with it."

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	13. Chapter 12

"You never answered my question."

Caroline's shoulders went tight. "That could be because you didn't deserve an answer."

Klaus moved into step with her, hands clasped behind his back. He seemed unconcerned with her dismissal, the rage tightening the press of her lips. Instead, he considered the backdrop of the woods.

"You fit here."

"I grew up here," Caroline ground out, picking her way through the trees.

"As did I," Klaus shrugged. "But I do not belong among these woods, fit among these landscapes."

Caroline heaved out a breath, stopped. "Is there a point to this? Will you be offering to bury me here next?"

"For a creature so filled with light, you are delightfully morbid." Klaus demurred, watching her from laughing eyes. "I like it."

His words struck a cord, left her mouth dry for reasons she didn't understand, a strange echo silencing the wildlife. His head canted, eyes narrowing as his gaze flickered around them. "A trap, sweetheart? Here I thought you'd have learned from the last time you played bait."

"No," she said firmly, continuing forward hoping to leave him behind. "And don't call me that."

"Would you prefer your name then, Caroline?" He drawled her name, caressed the syllables so his words were almost a physical touch.

"To be clear, I'm not helping you." Her words were harsh. "Elena is my friend. I care about her. Whatever your plan - whatever game your playing, no."

Klaus was in front of her so quickly, her hands slammed into his chest. The heat of him burned her palms as she backed away. He let her, brows tucking together. "What is it I see in you, little Caroline Forbes, that I have not yet killed you?"

"Should I know?" Caroline queried, eyes wary as he watched her with the wolf in his gaze. "I'm just a baby vampire."

"Yes," Klaus agreed moving back into her space. "You shouldn't be more than a passing thought. I've ruined beauty that surpasses yours; sowed seeds of discourse and mistrust that has felled kingdoms built on the bone and blood of the faithful."

"Why are you telling me this?" Caroline demanded, pressing her weight into her heels to keep from flinching.

"I've recently gained possession of doppelgänger blood."

"No," Caroline breathed, hands fisting.

Klaus smiled, the monster sharpening the angles of his face. His dimples cut deep, even as his eyes bled gold. "Did you imagine my patience for the annoyance of your friends would last forever? The Salvatore brother's plan are childish at best, inept at worst."

"Elena is my friend." Caroline growled. "I will not let you hurt her."

"You cannot stop me," Klaus said coolly. "However, she is quite safe, and she will live many years. Could the Salvatore brothers guarantee that?"

"So you e taken her freedom, for what? An army you. An call your own, because that worked out so well previously."

"Freedom is an illusion," Klaus told her, eyes glittering. "The weak will always be prey, Caroline. There is always someone stronger, willing to take it. Lucky for you, I admire your loyalty, but even you can push me to far, sweetheart."

"I don't want your life," Caroline ground out. "To only see hurt and jagged edges; to only look for nightmares behind people's eyes."

"Keep your sunshine heart, Caroline," Klaus said with iron in his gaze. "With your monster teeth and your black veins; do you think that time will dull what is between us? In a thousand years, I will still covet you."

"There is nothing between us," she snapped, chin angling stubbornly. "How can there be? You've stolen my best friend, you changed my boyfriend in a caricature of yourself and you've threatened everyone I care about. What could I possibly be attracted to?"

Klaus smiled, dimples bracketing the knife blade of his lips. "Let us see, shall we?"

The world changed beneath her feet. Bark bit suddenly into her spine, and Caroline froze at the blatantly sexual way his hips pressed against her pelvis; her thighs hitched around his narrow hips. She rotated her wrists, eyes narrowed as he held them easily with one hand. The other was tracing along her collarbones with hot fingertips, skating along the line of her throat.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was alarmed, a touch breathless.

"Attraction is an interesting thing, the sudden meeting of eyes; the brush of hands and a skittering gaze." Klaus said lowly, eyes flickering to her uncertain gaze. "The sharp bite of fangs in your wrist, the pull of shared blood."

Caroline froze, stomach flipping at the burn of his expression, those delicate touches along her skin. Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head. "Physical attraction. So what?"

He laughed against her jaw, slid his lips lightly against her flushed throat. "Oh, Caroline. Where this only physical - this pull that I find I'm not want to do without. I want you with your steel spine and heart."

"Great - put me down."

"I can hear your heartbeat, Caroline. The way it pulses in your throat, the staccato beat of your life. Is it arousal or fear, love, that pushes your borrowed blood through your veins?" Klaus' lips peeled away from the strong line of his teeth, gaze tracing down her lips to her throat. "Which frightens you more? The attraction? The ease at which you pull bits and pieces that I've buried for centuries to the surface? Perhaps it's your curiosity, this niggling thirst for more that tugs you my direction."

"No."

"You hate the monster," Klaus told her, pulling back to hold her gaze, hips rolling into hers so that her breath caught. "The truth of what I am repels even as it attracts you, little love. Do you think I cannot read the secrets behind your eyes? You want me. The ancient destroyer, the artist, the conqueror. You just haven't forgiven yourself yet."

"You don't know my heart," Caroline told him, voice harsh. "You just want a challenge."

"It's a dangerous game, sweetheart, to tell a man what he wants." His lips brushed her ear, voice a velvet temptation. "I think of Tyler touching you with his clumsy hands and lips, and I want to peel flesh and muscle from bone. I wonder at little sounds you make, the smell of your skin glistening with sweat and I've fantasized. How do you like to be touched, Caroline? Do you prefer a little domination, to be bent and twisted as your lovers please? I long to pin you to my bed, teeth at your shoulder and take until we both bleed, until your bones melt and your voice hitches as you beg."

His teeth grazed her ear and Caroline shuddered, breath catching hot in her chest. Arousal stroked through her veins, heavy heat low in her belly.

"Would you touch yourself for me, slide these delicate hands along the soft curves of your body?" Klaus continued, voice rough and low. "Do you touch yourself thinking of me? Would you show me what you want, take your own orgasm and let me lick the slickness from your fingertips?"

She bit her lip, everywhere they touched too hot. His eyes gleamed from under his lashes, a low rumble in his chest as he slid a hand down her side. His hand brushed under her skirt, pressed possessively into the curve of her butt and hitched the wet heat of her panties against the straining edge of his cock. She moaned, teeth digging hard into her lip to mute the noise.

He licked behind her ear and her hips rolled against him, chest rubbing against the hard line of his chest with each panted breath.

"Physical attraction can lead to explosive chemistry," Klaus said, voice wicked. "Shall we see?"

His mouth gave her no mercy, tongue a wicked slide of slick flesh inside her mouth. Her head pressed back into the bark and he simply followed, until she was caged between iron and wood - body throbbing, heart hammering as her lungs burned for air she no longer needed. Klaus bit at her chin, licked the line of her throat until he reached the curve of her shoulder - sank blunt teeth into her skin until she bled. All the while, Klaus rolled his hips into the dampness of her panties, stroked her clit with the rough line of his seam.

She came with his teeth in her shoulder, wrists caught tightly between his fingers, and his hand pressing tightly against her hip. She heaved for air, body trembling as he let her hands fall to her sides.

Two fingers lifted her chin, held her gaze to his. "Listen to me, Caroline. Elena will live well cared for, somewhere the Salvatores will never find her. I will build my army, and destroy anyone who comes after my family. The supernatural world will be changing - the sooner you accept this, the easier your life will be."

"Why are you telling me this?" Caroline asked voice wobbling from her orgasm. "Why any of this?"

"I will need a comparison, years from now, when you come to me. When I have you naked and slick against my sheets." Klaus curved his hold to her jaw, held her when she tried to tilt her head. "Do you feel my cock, Caroline? My pants are wet from the heat of your arousal, and how easy it would be to tear these flimsy panties and thrust us both to orgasm. But I'd never settle for one, or less than everything. So this is just a little taste, a bite. And later, when I take my rather painful erection in hand, that hitching moan of you will be very helpful."

Caroline's lips parted, face flushing.

"Arousing, isn't it, the idea that I'll fist my hand around my cock, your name on my lips." His smile faded, eyes glittering. "This is not the end, Caroline."

"Yes. It is."

He bit her lip, soothed it with his tongue, until her mouth opened under his; until her hands dug into his arms. Her tongue was greedy against his, nails sharp against his skin. He pulled back slowly, let her chase his lips until she realized what she'd done and pulled back.

"A century, a decade. What is time to the immortal," Klaus said, the steadiness behind his eyes shaking her. "You will find me, Caroline."

"My life is not a game," Caroline said, tone hard even as it shook. "I won't live my life looking over my shoulder."

"You have no idea what your life is worth to me, but the day you understand is the day you accept this." He set her down, stepped away from her. "My life will not be on hold for you, love. Find me when you're ready for what I'm offering."

"Which is what?"

"Everything."

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	14. Chapter 13

Caroline curled her knees a little closer to her chest as the truck finally came to a stop. She was furious, monster crawling along her skin; her throat burned, her gums ached, but she hadn't let a single tear fall. Dawn was close, and she glared at her bare hand with clenched teeth.

Hadn't it been just hours ago she was twirling around her room with a little smile, indulging in a momentary rush of girlish delight? She loved this dress. Loved how it made her feel.

Now it was ruined.

She'd been so stunned to see her Dad, had all but rushed down the steps with vampire speed. He'd offered her a corsage and kissed her cheek, telling her she was beautiful. Beaming, she'd never watched for the betrayal. Never saw the vervain needle until it was too late.

"It'll be alright honey," he'd promised when she woke, skirts a mess around her legs. They'd placed her in a cage bolted to the back of a truck bed, covered it with tarps. She'd been forced to grip the spelled iron to balance as they moved quickly along dirt roads, hands blistering painfully.

Worse, had been the vervain water they'd sprayed the cage and running mat down with. Every drop on her upper arms burned like acid, and she'd hunched over, resting her weight on the balls of her feet to try avoid most of the mud and water.

She didn't look up as the tarps were removed, water splashing painfully across raw skin. She let go of the bars, kept her face hidden in her knees. If she'd been human, her calves would have burned from exertion, but as a vampire she felt nothing.

"Honey, I just need you to show them what you showed me."

Blinking away the darkness, Caroline looked up and stared at her dad. "Don't do this."

"I'll be all right," Bill promised. "They just need proof."

Caroline didn't have time to ask anymore questions as buckets of water were tossed at her from each side. She screamed, eyes squeezing tightly shut, curling in tight to protect her face. It did little good; skirts soaked, water seeping through the intricate beading, and she shuddered in agony.

"Care-bear," Bill said softly. "Just show them your face."

She wanted to hurt them. But she knew that if she let a single feature free outside of her 'real' face this would go so much worse. Trembling, she peered out of the bars, everything burning.

"See," Bill told them men who were careful to hide in the shadows. "She has control."

"But will she help us?"

Caroline held in a snort. Trying to hold perfectly still, she ground her teeth as her dad watched her. "Let me go."

"Caroline - do you remember how I told you that you were one of the good ones?"

She didn't trust herself so she just nodded.

"There are vampires who are bad, baby. We need your help to kill them."

Everything inside her rebelled. She didn't kill people. And vampires were people - even Damon, though she wouldn't shed a year if Klaus ate him. She froze, swallowed hard. Wondered how long until someone noticed she was gone. It'd been a few hours, and she wasn't completely delusional to imagine that Klaus would find a way to see her in this dress.

Since she'd badgered him into letting her borrow it.

"Dad, you need to let me go. My friends will notice I'm missing. They'll look for me."

"Bonnie and Elena? They know you're with me."

"What?" Caroline whispered.

"I needed to make sure you were still you. You live with so much temptation, it's so easy to give in." Bill said gently. "They told me about Tyler. I'm sorry, honey. I know you cared about him. But now that we know about the white oak stake, there is a chance that we can kill him and end this."

"That would kill me too," she whispered in horror.

"Sometimes sacrifices need to be made," a voice murmured from behind her.

"I'm not a killer."

"They're not real people honey, they're not like you. They haven't kept their souls."

Curling tight around her knees, ignoring the biting pain of the drying vervain, she shuddered out a breath. "No."

"Care-bear…"

She knew she wasn't going to make it out if this cage. Not unless she agreed to this, but she couldn't do it. Not after today. So instead, she squared her shoulders and stared her Dad down. "Klaus is my friend."

Bill stared at her, eyes darkening with emotions she couldn't read. She swallowed hard, flinched at the burn of her clothes moving against her skin and licked her lips. She wouldn't do this.

"He's never asked me to kill anyone." She stared at her dad, ignoring the muttering around her. "Walk away, Dad. He's not going to let anyone who knows about the stake live. Please, walk away."

"He won't know," another voice murmured. Caroline heard the slosh of water in a bucket and refused to tremble. Just looked at her Dad, pleaded with her eyes. Run. Just run.

"Ah, but unlike her other so-called friends, I'm quite a bit more invested in her safety," soft, dangerous words cut into air. "I'd put that bucket down if you'd prefer a quick death, mate."

Caroline looked at away from her dad, caught Klaus' eyes as they bled yellow. "Klaus."

"I'll be with you in a moment, sweetheart."

"Not my Dad," she ordered, ignored her peeling skin and lunged to her knees and stared at him with eyes she refused to let water at the razor sharp pain. Gripping those iron bars, she repeated herself.

"Not my Dad."

The vervain water hit her straight in the back. She screamed, hunching reflexively and gritted her teeth until bone creaked in her jaw. She didn't look up as she heard Klaus tearing through them, the hot scent of blood almost too much for her. Her fangs pushed free, and she hissed, hands letting go of the bars as she struggled for control that wasn't coming. She was in too much pain, needed blood too badly.

The truck shook and her head snapped up, teeth bared and Klaus looked at her, all wild nightmare. Crouching down, he reached for the bars trapping her. His eyes narrowed at the burn, and Caroline watched his muscles bunch along his forearms as he ripped the front of the cage away.

He held out his hands, knowing moving would hurt. She hesitated; knowing what he saw. The ruined dress and blistered skin, her monster on full display.

"Come on, love. I won't let you hurt him," his eyes flared, veins stark around his eyes. "Not until you're healed, at least."

She tried not to cry out as she moved, each drag of her dress beyond painful. Klaus made a noise low in his chest, as he lifted her, dropping off of the truck; pulling the dress apart beneath his hands in one quick tug. Caroline arched away from the pain of it, bare feet curling into the dirt and she hissed at him, curling her hands in his shirt as she tried to breathe.

"I know," Klaus soothed. He held a wrist to her mouth, which she gripped tightly and bit into without additional prompting. "Take what you need, Caroline. There is plenty of blood here."

She felt his attention shift, the laser of his fury directed behind her. "I need to rinse the vervain from her skin."

There was silence and the sounds of Bill walking away. Caroline gripped Klaus' wrist tighter, tried to hold the tears that were unexpectedly filling her eyes. She blinked rapidly, felt him go motionless as the few she couldn't stop splashed on his skin.

"Sweetheart…"

She released him, wiping her eyes furiously. His knuckles curved under her chin, urging her to look at him. She glanced at him warily, but there was no pity in the truck lights; just that wildness that left her aching.

"Tell me why he lives."

"He's my Dad," she whispered. Klaus never blinked, didn't look away as Bill approached, just studied her with a predator's gaze.

"That's close enough."

Her dad stopped, and she shivered in the air.

"The vervain needs to be washed off," Klaus said at last. "You need to remove the rest of your clothes."

She felt herself flush, but reached determinedly for the band of her strapless bra. Winced at the tug of skin. Klaus reached over, snapped the fabric and tug it free.

"Tell my Dad to turn around," she muttered as she hesitated on her panties. His gaze jumped over her shoulder and she heard bone and clothes shift, the dirt beneath Bill's feet shift. Caroline followed Klaus' example and just tore the seamless panties free.

Klaus stepped around her, came back with two large water bottles, a rag and a small towel. Still utterly silent, he used one to wet the rag and he carefully wiped her face. The rest he poured over her shoulders and breasts; careful to rinse her back clear.

"How many pins do you have in your hair?"

"Fewer than when this started," Caroline muttered, before tilting her head to start fishing for them. Klaus caught her wrists, pulled her already burning hands free.

Silent, she dropped her chin and tried to ignore her nakedness and the careful way his hands tangled in her hair. Her scalp was still burning, and she knew each touch had to sting but he was so silent until he was satisfied, the other water bottle carefully being poured through the vervain and hair spray disaster of her hair.

Caroline patted herself dry with the offered towel, rang out her hair as best she could. Biting her lip, she wrapped her arms around her chest. Klaus stepped back around her, and peeled off his shirt. She blinked and took it it with a trembling hand, tugging it on quickly - not caring that it had blood splattered.

She stared at him and swallowed. "Now what?"

"That depends on you," Klaus told her.

"Okay," she held her arms away from her sides. "I need a hug."

Caroline watched his muscles go rigid, tattoos flexing in the light. He stared at her for a long moment before stepping forward and letting her press against the warm skin of his chest. She let her hands dig into his back, pressed her cheek to his shoulder with a shuddery breath.

"I'm supposed to be at prom."

"I know."

She almost smiled at the mild tone to his voice, that reference to her furious rantings earlier. Lifting her head, she looked at him.

"How'd you know I was missing?"

He tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear, something violent crawling through his eyes. "Your mom."

Caroline's eyes went wide. "Mom?"

Klaus dug into his pocket, pulled out a cell. He swiped it open and looked down. It started ringing and he handed it to her.

"Did you find her?"

"Mom?"

A shuddering breath. "Caroline."

"I'm okay."

"Did Klaus eat him?"

She jerked, nearly dropping the phone. "What? Mom!"

"I don't like him, but everything has a use. You tell Bill I expect him at my office in the morning, Caroline. And you let that murdering monster make whatever threats he wants, because I'm going to make him wish Klaus had killed him."

"Delighted to," Klaus murmured.

Caroline hung up with more promises and finally turned to face her dad. He was watching her with a perfectly blank face, eyes too dark to read. Klaus was hot against her spine, and she let that brace her.

"Mom's probably going to shoot you," Caroline muttered, crossing her arms. She set her chin and took a careful breath. "You deserve it."

"Care…"

She held up a hand and squared her shoulders. "I love you, Dad. But we're done. I think it's probably best you stay away from mom and I. I don't want to have to kill you."

"You won't have to, sweetheart. Bill Forbes will live a very long life, should he attempt to contact you ever again."

The threat behind Klaus words had her biting her lip. Bill looked over her shoulder and blaunched. She almost turned to look too."

"Don't make mom look for you," Caroline said instead. "That'll just make it worse."

"If you start driving you might make your appointment," Klaus told him. "She'll need her daylight ring back.

Caroline said nothing until Bill had pulled back onto the road, fiddling with her ring now that it was just her and Klaus. Without her Dad there, it was unnerving wearing nothing but his shirt. A low, agonized moan had her turning and peering into the dark.

"You didn't kill him?"

Klaus laughed, the sound startling her into looking back up at him. He smiled with fangs on full display. "They'll get around to it in a few hours."

"How are we getting out of here?" She asked instead of commenting on the deaths of the men around her. Klaus closed the small distance between them, cupped her face.

"I heard you."

She went still under his touch, gaze turning wary. His smile widened, dimples becoming more visible with the dawn light as the sun rose. But he was still shadowed, beardless flecked with blood.

"Klaus…"

"Oh no sweetheart," Klaus chided. His thumbs ran along her cheekbones, something nearly feral and all claiming crawling through his gaze. "They offered you the same deal as your friends, and you turned it down. Burning from vervain, starving for blood - you picked me."

"Don't be an ass," Caroline grumped, eyes narrowed. "I thought we were friends?"

He kissed her forehead, lips curling as he pulled away. "We'll never be just friends."

She parted her lips to retort when he suddenly bent and picked her up bridal style. She settled against his chest with a gasp, was relieved when his shirt stayed pined by his arm and her knees.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you home."

"We're going to flash like this?"

"I thought we'd take our time, enjoy the morning," his head tilted, gaze catching hers. "Give you time to think."

About what her dad had done, that Bonnie and Elena had known. That they'd told Bill about the stake, that others might know now. There would be hell to pay when they arrived back at Mystic Falls. He was giving her time to process.

That she'd chosen him.

If only she was wearing actual clothes.

Crossing her arms, she slumped against him with a groan. "This is ridiculous."

"I'm enjoying myself," he mused. "Just think sweetheart, this give you a few hours to figure out how to keep me from eating your friends. The Salvatore's are already dead men walking, but I think I'll let them watch Elena bleed out, rope her intestines around her neck. The little witch might take a bit more effort, but so delicate; a little blood, a wrench of her neck and she could join Elena."

Caring jabbed him with a nail, glowered up at him. "No."

He lifted her, until their noses were nearly touching. "They gave my family's weakness to hunters, sold you out and nearly got you killed. I have no reason to show mercy."

"They're my friends."

"But you're not theirs."

His blunt words hurt and she sighed, letting him lower her back to his shoulder as he started walking again. She was silent for a long time before speaking. Trying to work through her feelings.

"They're the only people left who knew human Caroline and liked her."

"Then tell me about her." He offered, voice a rumble beneath her ear.

"You wouldn't have liked her," Caroline dismissed. "I make a much better vampire."

A displeased growl, and his hand squeezed her thigh. "Try me. How much further down the rabbit hole can you fall?"

She fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt. She knew as far as Klaus was concerned, she'd picked sides. She wasn't completely certain he was wrong. Licking her lips, she started to talk, little things about her life - offering more when he didn't scoff or laugh. Talked until the sun had truly broken the horizon, turning the landscape brilliant with daylight. Until she fell asleep, the night before finally catching up with her.

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	15. Chapter 14

"Tell me, Caroline, when was the last time you had good sex?" His smile was full of teeth, eyes dark with lust and her heartbeat skipped. "Because you look _hungry_ , sweetheart."

This wasn't what she'd expected, when she'd slipped out of Mystic Falls for a little stress relief. The club was packed with students from Whitmore, but Caroline had ignored those vaguely familiar faces. She need to burn through her raging emotions, and running just didn't cut it anymore, so she danced.

Stefan had casually mentioned once that vampires had strong sex drives, but Caroline hadn't really given that much thought until Tyler had left. She was tired of her hands and her vibrator was good for quick relief, but she wanted to be _touched_. She didn't dare take anyone home who she could break, as even Tyler had been surprised by her monsters thirst for more than blood.

So sometimes, she slipped out and danced.

Then Caroline would go home smelling of men who'd wanted her and booze, and spend quite a bit longer in the shower. But Tyler was gone and she hadn't had sex with anything that wasn't inanimate in weeks. That was the best explanation for why Klaus standing in front of her left her head reeling. He smelled amazing, and the faintest touch of blood to his normal scent left her gums aching.

"Seriously? Did you _already_ eat someone?"

Amusement joined the glitter behind his eyes, and he was suddenly much closer than he'd been before. Casually, he brought one hand up to skim along the damp skin below her collarbones while he drank her in with his eyes. Dance wild curls, the short and tight red dress missing strategic cutouts, the spikes of her heels putting them on eye level. Her bra hid the way her nipples had tightened, and the flush along her cheeks and chest were easily brushed off from dancing, but nothing could hide the smell of her arousal as Klaus took a deliberate breath.

Caroline shivered, at the way his throat moved as his eyes returned to hers.

"Interested in a bite?" Klaus asked, gaze locking on hers. "I'd be delighted to share. In fact, sweetheart, I'm most interested in feeding any number of appetites you have tonight."

Her lips parted, as she tried to take a centering breath, but instead she ended up with a lungful of male arousal as Klaus shifted that much closer. Her thighs clenched, body shivering as he continued to smile at her, the faintest hint of veins under his eyes. Her monster was very, very interested in where this was going.

The rest of her was trying not to panic.

Fucking Klaus was a terrible idea, regardless of how badly her body was clamoring for her to do just that. Instinct whispered that she couldn't break this one, that he'd be so much fun to play with and a little taste couldn't hurt. Except it so, so could. Instead of leaning in those last few inches and licking at lips she wanted to bite, her chin tilted and she stared at Klaus was narrowed eyes.

"Do you? Shall I toss my panties at you as a thank you for your benevolence?"

"I like your mean, love," Klaus said as he carefully pushed a loose curl away from her cheek, deliberately not touching skin. "But it does seem a bit pointless when I'm offering a much more interesting outlet for all that pent up tension. Why the hesitation?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really?"

His nose nearly brushed hers and the continuation of these almost touches were making her skin vibrate. But she wouldn't flinch back, wouldn't give him the satisfaction of gaining an inch of her ground - even if the heat of his chest so close to her breasts left her mentally cursing.

"I've shown no inclination to harm you tonight, in fact I believe I've expressed my interest in the exact opposite."

"And tomorrow? Or the day after?" Caroline demanded. "How long until you use the fact that you even know about me being here against me? Against my friends? You know, the ones you want to kill?"

"Killing them seems a bit… merciful, at this point," Klaus said easily, as if he wasn't discussing a future filled with torture. "Tell me, Caroline, how long do you plan on protecting those who've no inclination to protect you?"

"They're _my friends_."

His gaze turned calculating, but he never moved, just continued to stand so close a heavy breath would rub her dress against his shirt.

"So they are. But they are not here, Caroline, and I am. And you're ready to vibrate out of your skin. Tell me, how helpful have they been as you've settled into your vampire skin? Have they at least offered to restock the batteries for your toys?"

"Are you trying to embarrass me because I masturbate?" Caroline said coolly. "Because that's none of your business."

"You mistake me," Klaus said, that curling smile back on his lips. "I've certainly come often enough to thought of you, wondering how you sound, how you taste. How your pretty lips would look wrapped around my cock. You're a predator, Caroline. There is no shame in taking what you need, what you want, but that's not what you've been told. Why not explore a little? Let your lovely monster out to play?"

Caroline tried not to think about the images he'd very deliberately conjured. Those artist hands wrapped around his cock, the sin his gaze had promised when he spoke of her _taste_. The coaxing way he teased her monster, the glitter of his own feral predator that left her increasingly damp. She was struggling not to pant, and they'd done nothing more than argue.

But before she could find some sort of argument, some sort of logical denial, he flicked his tongue along his lips, let his smile go slightly crooked.

"Perhaps what you need is a truce."

And her insides went tight. Wary, she finally allowed herself to shift the smallest bit back. "Truce?"

His eyes were dark and so hungry. "You let me satisfy all the cravings beneath your skin and I won't breathe a word to your so called friends. In fact, I imagine they won't even notice, unless you choose to say something, of course."

"Why?" She blurted, before she could catch the word. "What do you get from this?"

His scruff brushed along her cheek as he leaned to breathe his next words against her ear. She fisted her hands to hold still as her breasts dragged against his chest as Klaus moved, steeled her abdominal muscles to hold steady as his voice lowered with promise.

"I want you. In every dirty, filthy way you'll let me have you. I want to crawl under your skin the way you've crawled under mine, to see if I can drown out what I want, what I need with your cries so that you stop haunting me. I want you to let go of all your perfect control, until you can't think and the monster beneath your skin feasts on every carnal pleasure it wishes to gorge on, and I want my blood on your tongue." He dipped his head, so that his nose barely brushed against her throat, and she shuddered. "And Caroline, I think you want the same."

He pulled back and she let out a breath. She was so aroused she could smell it, her monster crawling in her veins and still he waited. Carefully, hand faintly trembling, she touched the scruff of his beard. He went perfectly still, this first time she chose to touch him.

"Do you want me, Caroline?"

"Just," Caroline murmured as she admitted for the first time to the pull between them. Gave herself permission, to absorb this. "This once. As you said, to get you _out_ of my system."

"Well, sweetheart," Klaus said against her lips, eyes full of a monster's challenge. "Give it your best go."

Caroline woke the next morning tangled in sheets, awash in mid-morning sunshine. There was blood on her tongue, blood under her nails and ruined sheets beneath her. As she breathed in the lingering scents of sex, she turned her head to stare at the hybrid watching her from beneath heavy lashes. Klaus had a sketch pad propped on his knees, and the open possession on his face, the flicker of his tongue across his lips as his gaze drank her in stirred the nightmare in her veins.

Her delighted, sated monster that had tasted freedom.

It hadn't worked. Getting him out of her blood. Writing off the attraction as instinctive.

If anything, she wanted him _again_. More.

And that slow, curling blade of a smile told her he wasn't finished yet, either.

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	16. Chapter 15

Elena would hate her for this.

Caroline didn't know if she cared. Chest heaving, she stared at the lines of the ceiling, and tried to slow her rapid heartbeat. She couldn't feel her _bones_.

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't think tonight."

Head lolling to the side, she tried to work up the energy for irritation at the lazy smugness in his voice, but she couldn't. Klaus had good reason to be pleased with himself. She certainly had no complaints, and that was the problem wasn't it?

She'd no complaints.

The last few days had been a nightmare. Stefan trying to justify using her as a broodmare, Alaric going clear over the deep end, and Bonnie looking so impatiently confused by Caroline's horror. Running had been the best possible choice, her frantic calls to Steven finally getting her the name of a witch who might be willing to help in Chicago.

Instead she'd found Klaus.

And hadn't that been a shock. The utter normalcy of him with his curls and dimples, blue eyes filled with iron. The gleam of the afternoon sun on the necklaces she still sometimes fantasized about.

"Hello, sweetheart," Klaus murmured, lips curling upwards. "I hear you could use a hand."

Her thoughts were interrupted as Klaus moved to cover her, lips sliding to that one spot behind her ear that always left her gasping. Body still so sensitive, one velvet brush of his tongue and she was arching into him, hands flying to the smoothness of his back.

"As much as I admire your clever brain, love, I want you to exhausted to think." He lifted his head, the blue in his gaze brightened by wolf gold. "Yet, multiple orgasms later, here you are, worrying."

She sighed, one leg curling over his hip while her fingers absentmindedly traced his spine. "It's been a long few days."

Learning the real mechanics of the spell; her utter relief once it was confirmed that she wasn't actually pregnant.

"Impossible," the older witch had muttered, lips compressed while her daughter kept two nervous eyes squarely on Klaus. "You're dead. The price that magic would demand would be too high. One life for each day you carried them."

"Be a dear," Klaus suggested casually, smiling with blunt teeth. "And cleanse her anyway; I for one, am most curious to discover if there are spells still attached. That shouldn't be outside your means, and it should tell me exactly who will find a violent end in the near future."

Caroline had walked straight to the nearest bar once they'd left; the list of magics on her person bouncing in her head. Klaus, for his part, had said not a word as she went through half a bottle of vodka. Just calmly refilled her glass, until she was gripping the edge of the bar, hair falling into her face.

"Why are you here?"

The words had slipped out before she could catch them. Klaus had seemed unconcerned for her tone, had brushed her curls behind her ear.

"Steven called me."

She snapped up then, blinked at him in shock. "What?"

An arched brow. "Did you expect that I'd go galavanting across the globe without making sure I knew exactly where you were? That I'd have no failsafe in place?"

Cursing her earlier need to be drunk, she shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "I thought you were in New Orleans?"

His gaze never left hers. "New Orleans is a useful bit of nostalgia, but hardly worth putting down permanent roots. Once we had Kol back, there was little use for the city. I was in New York, when Steven called."

It had felt like she couldn't get enough air. Shock and alcohol had combined to mix up what happened next, but the next clear memory was the taste of Klaus on her tongue. His kiss had been bloody, a near violent thing that had sank into her bones and tugged at the monster beneath her skin. Somehow, she gotten out her request _not to think_ and he'd smiled at her with blood-wet lips, dimples cutting deep.

"I believe we can manage that."

It'd been the best sex of her life, hands down. That interlude in the woods had taught her that he could be impossibly greedy for her. Yet, in a bed, without an invisible clock counting down, Klaus had scrambled her brains. She'd barely come up for air between rounds, before he was coaxing her right back to aroused and frantic.

Now, Klaus considered her with too sharp eyes. "I can fuck you until you beg for a break, wrap you in pleasure until even your vampirism can't keep you conscious. And I will, if that's what you want. It is no hardship, to have you beneath me."

Caroline couldn't stop the rush of arousal, the bite of her nails into his skin. His lips curved in that private, wicked promise of his and she swallowed.

"But that will only delay the inevitable, so I'll be very clear with you." He ran a hand up her side, traced the each rib slowly. "Tomorrow, you may stay or go as you wish, Caroline. I will not add myself to your list of those who've tried to steal your choices from you. But I would like to remind you, that I've made a number of options available to you. Those still stand."

"I'm not going back." The words escaped her before she could stop them, but they felt right. She narrowed her eyes, at the calculating gleam behind his gaze. "But that doesn't mean I'm going with you."

He shifted, and his cock pressed against her and she bit her lip, to stifle her moan. He dipped his head, and rasped his tongue across the base of her throat.

"Then perhaps I should sweeten the offer, hmm?"

Caroline didn't think, for a very long time after. Not until the sun had broken the horizon, waking to possessive fingers dragging down her spine.

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	17. Chapter 17

Given the following drabble prompt: Hello! This is your KC Wednesday prompt: Caroline is a lawyer in an age that women were just allowed to practice the law and not many viewed them with respect. Klaus is her cocky opponent in court until she wins. Then he's impressed and has new found respect for her. Happy Writing!

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Caroline stepped inside the ladies room to breathe deeply for a moment; to quell the faint trembling in her hands from the adrenaline. Teeth catching the corner of her lip, she couldn't stop her exuberant smile. That bubbling well of winning.

This hadn't been her first victory. It wasn't even her tenth, but this had been for a friend and God, it felt good. It would be completely undignified to fist pump, but oh, she was tempted. Instead she smoothed her skirt and made sure her lipstick was perfect before giving herself one more beaming smile and heading out.

"That was well played, Forbes," a low, utterly familiar, utterly frustrating voice murmured, cutting into her internal triumph. Caroline gave herself a second to mentally brace herself for the current bane of her existence, the reason this victory was so, so sweet. Sliding her briefcase to her dominant hand, she turned to study her opponent.

Niklaus Mikaelson - old world, old blood and old money. He looked the part, in his suite and carefully contained curls. Handsome wasn't the right word, not when you got a good look at his eyes. She supposed that shade of blue was easy to admire, but it was that hard glint, the mocking amusement that'd set her teeth on edge. Honestly, she could've ignored his looks if it hadn't been for his dimples. They flirted with everything - judge, jury, her - and really, she didn't blame herself for wanting to bite him.

"Mikaelson," Caroline angled her head, expression cool. "Thank you."

A slight, self-depreciating smile tugged at his mouth as he moved to stand next to her, head canted to the side. "I admit I wasn't expecting it."

Caroline arched one brow. "That's because you saw a pretty face and how did you put it… ah, yes. You expected me to be just another dumb dora, an easy mark. I'm pretty, Mikaelson, not stupid. Underestimating me was a bad decision on your part."

That slight smile edged into a real one, dimples making an appearance. "Yes, so it seems. I assure you, the next time we face off, I won't make that mistake."

Her lashes narrowed, taking in the details of his expression. She'd seen the entire gambit of emotions after losing to a woman. Rage, disgust, and those sly remarks about what else her skirts were good for. To Mikaelson's credit, he was showing none of that.

"Is that an apology?"

"It's a warning," Mikaelson corrected. "You use your pretty face as a weapon, Forbes. I'll remember that."

Caroline grinned at him before turning on her heels to head out. She refused to admit - even in her head - that the sway to her hips was anything but her normal walk. It wasn't that Mikaelson's attitude was anything but expected, but it didn't rankle any less.

"Not going to deny it?" He asked, as his long strides caught up to her.

"Deny what? Using your male chauvinism against you? Are you fishing for an apology?" Caroline shook her head. "You didn't do your homework, you made assumptions and you lost. That I'm a woman has little to do with it."

"Let me buy you dinner."

Caroline stopped abruptly and glared at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"Dinner. I'd apologize for my behavior, but the beating you just gave me in court more than leaves us even." His eyes glittered, that predatory edge she'd sensed from him no longer hidden behind his affable manners. This lawyer would have been much more difficult to beat. "So instead, let me make it up to you. We can get drinks, if you'd prefer."

"No," Carine said firmly as she pushed through the courthouse doors.

"No?" Mikaelson repeated.

"No," she said with a shrug, heading for her car. "The usual lawyering aside, you've been an ass."

A soft noise at her profanity, a flicker of his gaze across her face, eyes glittering. "And I'm attempting to make amends."

"Are you sure this isn't about your ego, Mikaelson?" Caroline questioned. "Now that I've crushed it so thoroughly?"

"Klaus," he corrected. "I'd prefer it if you'd call me Klaus."

"That's nice."

Klaus laughed then, dimples flashing deep. "You really don't think I can admire what you did back there, the skill it took to outmaneuver me?"

"No."

"It takes a certain amount of spine," Klaus murmured. "To choose law, but to be good at it? That's something else entirely. I respect intelligence."

Unlocking her car, Caroline tossed her briefcase into the backseat before giving him her best polite smile. "I'm sure you'll find someone else to respect in the near future. Have a nice day, Mikaelson."

Head tilting to the side, Klaus never lost his smile. If anything, her flat out rejection left his eyes a darker shade of blue - the cutthroat determination, the razor-sharp mind behind his gaze on full display. She absolutely refused to admit how much better that look was on him.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you around," Klaus drawled. "Till then, Caroline."

"Oh, I doubt it," Caroline said in amusement. "Goodbye."

As she started the engine, she let herself regret that, just a hair. Not many people actually could keep up with her, and he might've had a fighting chance, if he'd gotten out of his own way. Mikaelson needed someone willing to sink her teeth into him; God, how fast could she crack that superiority, that smugness with her mouth? But she'd walked that road, and with the upcoming changes in her life, he was hardly what she needed.

Glancing in her rear view she sighed.

He'd sure have been fun, though.

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	18. Chapter 18

Drabble Prompt: Despite promising to leave, Klaus returns to MF because (insert reason here) and while there overhears Caroline talking about how she can't get over him. He uses this to his advantage.

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Not entirely sure he's being super devious here, but I hope you like it anyway.

"Hello, love."

Caroline froze, keys clenched tightly between her fingers. For a moment, she held on to the hope that this was an alcohol fueled hallucination. All she had to do was put her keys into her door, step inside and just, ignore the hybrid she could almost feel against her skin.

"Nothing to say, Caroline? That's a bit unlike you." Klaus made an amused, considering sound in his throat and she tensed. She knew that sound, had felt it against the skin of her chest, along her inner thigh. That amused indulgence that promised so many, many things.

"Did your ladies evening not go as well as you'd have liked? Have a bit of an argument, sweetheart?"

Caroline spun, eyes narrowing. The anger sitting in her chest didn't stop the impact of him - messy curls, glittering eyes and a knowing, delighted smirk curving along his mouth. Oh God, that mouth. But as she looked at him, that smile and his words sunk in and horror crawled up her spine along with embarrassment.

Her evening with Bonnie and Elena had not gone as she planned, with her friends attempting to wheedle out information of her about her tryst with Klaus. She'd found herself admitting far more than she'd planned and it'd all gone downhill from there. And now this?

She would not blush. She wouldn't. Teeth clenching, she dropped her purse to the deck and scowled at him, unimpressed by the widening of his smile.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Caroline ground out.

Klaus tilted his head, faux thoughtfulness etching across his face. "No?"

"Seriously?" Eye rolling, she pointed. "New Orleans is that way."

"I'm delighted that you know that," Klaus drawled, moving closer. Prowling. Caroline set her heels stubbornly, refusing to give an inch. Even though that was probably what he wanted. Unfortunately, it wasn't fear that was making her stomach jump.

"Perhaps I missed you," Klaus said, stopping in front of her. "Coming so near to this wretched town, and having you so close, perhaps I was unable to help myself."

"We're not going there." Caroline said firmly, even as Klaus reached up to toy with a curl. He smiled at her, dimples cutting deep. "I'm not having this conversation."

"And here I thought you missed me," he murmured. "Couldn't stop thinking about me; tell me, love - do you dream of our time together? My lips on your skin, my hands laced tight with yours, the smell of the woods as I took you?"

Caroline's spine went rigid. Growling, she swatted at his hand. "You are such an unbelievable stalking asshat, that was a private…"

His mouth was hot against hers, palms curving along her jaw as he kissed her. Caroline staggered, hands fisting in his Henley as her mouth opened under his. Klaus took his time, lips and tongue lazy. She moaned as his teeth tugged lightly along her lip, tongue sliding against the sting.

Klaus pulled back for a moment, gaze sweeping along her face before he kissed her again, one hand sliding down her neck, the curve of her spine to grip her ass, hauling her against him. Her arms slid around his neck, fingers tight in his hair as she kissed him back. Hips rolling against his, she shuddered as his tongue slicked against hers, every part of her lit up like a wire at the feel of him.

Slowly, so slowly he pulled away from her mouth. Caroline stared up at him, flushed and a little dazed at the heat burning through her. Klaus eased his grip on her jaw, stroked his thumb across her lips.

"I've missed you."

Just like that, reality returned. Jabbing a finger into his shoulder, she scowled at him. Ignored the way the heat and feel of him invited her to press her face into his neck, to breath him in.

The hand gripping her ass.

"Why are you here?"

His eyes danced. "You're not enough of a draw?"

"Oh please, like I'm going to fall for that. I swear to God, I'll stake you myself if you're here to so much as look at my friends."

Klaus laughed, hitching her closer. "I do so enjoy you. Do not worry, sweetheart. My business here doesn't involve the doppelgängers or the others."

She leaned forward, and smiled. "Then get your hand off my ass and move out of my personal space."

Klaus nipped at her chin, but did as she asked and stepped away. For a moment, he paused, eyes dark with emotions she couldn't read. Then his face cleared and he winked at her. "Well, I'll be seeing you love."

"Not in Mystic Falls, you won't." Caroline said firmly.

He grinned, hands sliding to his pockets as he turned. Relief that he was leaving was mixed with a need to reach him, to find his skin with her hands, to mark him. She clenched her fingers together instead.

"And Caroline?"

She eyed him, wary. Nothing good ever came from that tone, that curving smile.

"I haven't forgotten you either, love. How could I? Not after I've had you begging for me, all hot and demanding in my arms, the taste of your arousal on my tongue." He licked his lips, pupils impossibly dark. "You may have bought yourself time, love, but little else. You said it yourself. I'm under your skin."

Arms crossing, face flushed she glared at him. "Go to hell."

His smile turned wicked. "Think of me tonight, Caroline. When you're cupping those pretty breasts, stroking the heat between your thighs. I'll certainly be thinking of you."

Caroline set her teeth as he disappeared, trying very hard not to think of the images he'd so deliberately left behind. Cursing, she blew out a harsh breath.

She really hated cold showers. But like hell was he winning this one. Tonight, anyway.

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	19. Chapter 19

Drabble Prompt: goldcaught: Caroline daughter of Senator Elizabeth Forbes, Klaus CEO of a private security job, Best Man for The Job. (Person must pose as their significant other…)

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"What was that?" Klaus snarled as he slammed into her house behind her. Caroline spun, swiping at the fall of her hair, the ruined up-do that she'd so carefully arranged that afternoon. Fingers searching through her curls for pins, she barely refrained from throwing them at his face childishly.

"Don't you yell at me," Caroline ground out, eyes snapping, face flushed. "What do you think that was? He had a gun pointed at my mom and since her bodyguards were all busy holding their own dicks, I did what needed to be done."

"He almost shot you." Klaus said slowly, face flushed with rage. "Do you understand how easily he could have killed you? Standing in front of the Senator?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, stepping out of her heels. "I fail to see why you are acting like this. Mom is safe, the gunman is in custody, the press for this should be amazing and you get to go home, back to your company. Win, win."

Every part of him locked up, except his eyes. They blazed at her, his jaw working as he clearly struggled to contain himself. His hands slid to tie, fingers working to untie the knot. "Is that what you think?"

For one moment, unease flared in her gut. To cover it, she tossed the pins from her hair onto her mantel and shrugged. "You've been pretty blunt about the entire situation, which I generally appreciate in a person, but you can go now."

The dismissal hung between them and she waited. Caroline fully expected him to walk out, never to be seen again. She'd told Stefan this was a bad idea. Had repeated it multiple times. The entire premise was stupid, having someone come in to pose as her boyfriend to protect her from a madman with a gun who was targeting her mom, not her.

But her mother - her freaking mother - had agreed with them. And Klaus Mikaelson, old college friend of Stefan's, CEO of some security group had just watched and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I'm sure you don't have anything I can't handle."

So she'd smiled back with teeth. "Okay. Fine. But I withhold the right to say I told you so."

The last week had been torture. Him wearing a jeans and Henley combo, professional ice nothing could crack between them. She'd hated the attraction she felt anyway - the urge to strangle him with those damn necklaces leaving her hands fisted at her side more than once.

And he'd just watched, smile knowing and unwilling to crack. Well, fine. She'd gone down this path once, had her heart stomped on. She didn't need that a second time.

The sound of his jacket hitting a chair startled her.

"No," Klaus' voice cut into the charged silence, and she turned in surprise. He watched her, gaze calculating. "Not yet."

Caroline arched a brow. "Oh?"

"A man doesn't just walk away when a woman wears a dress like that, Caroline. Much less a dress picked out for him."

Alright, so maybe the dress wasn't exactly fair. Caroline was willing to concede that she hadn't thought the entire thing through as much as she should've. But God, those dimples cutting into his cheeks as his eyes had laughed at her, that slightly condescending sweetheart murmured in that accent. Please. She was pretty, not stupid.

Except, all night she'd felt Klaus on her skin; had surprised herself with the heat in her gut when he'd looked at her when she'd met him in her foyer. The way he'd startled at her appearance - black dress, red heels, red lips, hair curled and pinned to perfection - the ice of her irritation nearly cracking at the way his pupils had gone wide; that subtle parting of his lips, as he breathed in her perfume.

That awareness, the unexpected need that moved in her blood was only made worse by the drag of his calloused fingers catching on her skin through strategic cutouts. But how was a girl to plan for Klaus Mikaelson in a tux? Fitted, his tux followed the narrow, lean lines of him to perfection; her heels put them at eye level and God, she wanted to bite that smirk. Catch that bottom lip and roll it between her teeth until he gasped.

His eyes told he knew what she was thinking and they dared her. Klaus had made no pretense of watching her lips, eyes lowering deliberately to burn along her skin. Caroline was tempted, oh so tempted, to see what exactly Klaus thought he could handle.

But that'd be just playing into his assumptions and like hell. The Bodyguard might have been an interesting troupe, but no. She'd been down that route with Tyler, and look how that'd blown up in her face.

"You're feeling mean," Stefan had commented as he handed her a flute of champagne, eyes amused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Caroline - I'm your friend, not blind. That's not the dress you you planned on a week ago."

She took sip, lowered her lashes. "He called me sweetheart."

"So, your revenge is what?" Stefan gestured with a hand. "Tempt him with sin and then walk away?"

Caroline smiled at him, blinked her eyes wide. "He said he could handle whatever I threw at him. We both know I'm just here for my pretty face, to support my mom."

Stefan let out a long sigh. "I thought it might be something like that. Don't ruin him."

"Really?" Caroline shook her head. "To ruin something, it has to matter. He's made his opinion pretty well know about me in the last few days. And you know what Stefan, I'm not at all amused that you think I'd only wear this dress for revenge."

"Caroline…" Stefan said slowly, face slightly alarmed. "What are you planning?"

She smiled at him, letting it curve across her face and into her eyes. Just to watch him sweat. Once she was sure he'd a million panicked contingencies in his mind, she looped her arm with his. Squeezed his arm.

"Nothing. Tonight is about my mom, I'd never ruin that. We're going to get through tonight, your strange British BFF will go back to his life, and I'll get to concentrate on running mom's campaign without this nonsense."

Stefan kissed the top of her head. "If you say so, Care."

She stepped away and laughed. "When am I ever wrong?"

And now Caroline had a seething, irate man in her living room who was looking at her as if he could swallow her whole. Whose entire demeanor was such a drastic change from everything else she'd seen from him that she felt off balance.

"You're being presumptuous."

"Am I?" Klaus asked as he stalked towards her. "Tell me something Caroline, show me I'm wrong. Because your eyes have been an invitation all night. And this dress? Stefan had no idea when he called you sin."

Caroline straightened her spine. "Eavesdropping is rude."

He laughed, reached for the cuff links on his shirt. Unhooked them. "You can't ruin what you've already wrecked love. Your goddamn smile, your fucking gorgeous eyes and that mind of yours."

Caroline stared at him, brows bunching together as he dropped the cufflinks on the mantel. "You've spent the entire week either laughing at me or scowling."

"Do you know what I told Stefan when I accepted this job? Piece of cake. Bodyguard jobs like this were a dime a dozen when I first started, and not once have I ever been tempted to break my rule of being involved. Not once." He laughed lowly, bending to unlaced his shoes; toe them off. "And there you were, so fucking perfect. I told myself that you were just like the rest - a name on a page, a pretty face to admire."

Caroline watched him stand, curled her lips in a mocking smile. But her heart was pounding, skin flushed. "Getting comfortable?"

"Oh sweetheart," his eyes gleamed, the warm indulgence a contrast to the amusement of before. "You want me as much as I want you."

"Presumptions." She retorted, body held tight as he stepped close. The bite of his cologne, the heat of his skin was temptation.

"I plan to wreck you, as you've ruined me. I want to slid under your skin, brand my touch into your marrow - until we're both drowning in this together." Klaus touched her cheek, fingertips gentle. "Tell me you don't want this. Tell me that you weren't imagining my lips on yours, my hands on your skin."

Caroline's breath hitched in her chest, caught in her throat. He'd dropped those iron shields, looked at her determination, adoration. He was showing her the truth behind his facade of aloofness and mocking amusement. That she'd dug in and took root, bothered him as much as he'd irritated her.

She licked her lips and his eyes darkened.

"Because when I saw you fling yourself in front of your mother, my heart stopped." Klaus cupped her face. "Tell me no, now, Caroline. Otherwise, I'm taking you upstairs to check over ever part of you, to assure myself you're not so much as scratched. I'm going to peel this seduction of a dress off your body and show you just how much I want this. You."

She touched the scruff on his cheek, that five o'clock shadow he never fully lost. "No."

His eyes went blank and she traced his lips. "I wasn't imaging kissing you - I was thinking about how I could sink my teeth into your damn smirk. I thought about out how I'd like fist my hands in those necklaces of yours with you under me; pinned to my desk chair; unable to touch while I took."

Klaus stared at her, body shuddering at the image she'd painted. "Your office is mostly glass."

Caroline bit the curve of her lip as she smiled, watched him from lowered lashes. "Still think you can handle whatever I dish out, Mikaelson?"

He lowered his head, smile wide and hot. "Let's see what you've got, love."

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	20. Chapter 20

prompt: Caroline is afraid of thunderstorms and seeks out our favorite hybrid in the middle of the night.

So this morphed a little, but I hope you like it anyway!

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This had turned into the road trip from hell.

It hadn't even been her idea; none of this had been her idea. Pressing her lips together tightly, she squeezed her eyes shut, blankets pulled tightly to her chin and tried to ignore what Mother Nature had unleashed outside. It was one thing to be kidnapped by your boyfriend - ex-boyfriend, ex-everything - but it was entirely another to be dragged into a hurricane for it.

And God, to assume that Klaus would be irate enough to follow them? That'd he'd abandon whatever stupid plan he was making to follow his runaway hybrid and her into this insanity? Huddling a little further into the corner of the hotel room she'd used compulsion to get, she pressed her forehead to her knees and told herself to breathe.

The little man at the front desk had said they wouldn't be taking the brunt of the storm, but they'd get some of the rain and wind. And there was always a chance they'd end up dealing with a tornado, depending on where this thing made landfall, but those were more likely farther inland. She'd have been fine, if it hadn't been for the thunder.

Why couldn't she be scared of spiders? Spiders were a much more acceptable fear than thunder. Why couldn't she be home, hiding under her covers per usual? Oh, that's right. Her friends and her boyfriend thought kidnapping her was a reasonable, rational way to deal with the escalating Original situation.

She was so, so done.

A sudden peel of thunder loud enough to make the room shake had her nearly crawling out of her skin but it was the sudden, loud crashing of her door that had her trying to climb the wall. Face pale, eyes too wide she stared at the furious, drenched figure.

"Hello, Caroline," Klaus bit out, cheekbones stark in his face. His eyes flickered around the room, lashes narrowing as he confirmed she was alone. "And where is my wayward hybrid?"

Caroline stared at him, completely dumbfounded. Klaus was actually here. He'd left Mystic Falls, somehow tracked her and… another loud rumbling had her jumping. Swallowing as he paused, his eyes dragging down her slightly crazed form, she hurriedly spoke.

She'd probably start crying if he threatened her right now. No, just no. She refused, okay?

"I don't know, okay? Well, I mean, he's probably somewhere in Florida by now, he probably woke up from his snapped neck, but fair is fair and…" Her word vomit stuttered to an end as something loudly hit the side of the building and she clenched her teeth.

Klaus arched both brows, the dangerous yellow fading from his eyes. Turning, he closed the door, sliding the locks into place before he prowled over to where she was pressed against the wall. His forearms bracketed her body, and he leaned in far to close. Caroline blinked as she realized only his hair was wet, the rest of him was dry, and surprisingly warm.

"You don't like the thunder," he said lowly, eyes intent. Mutely, she shook her head. "And Tyler left you here."

Caroline winced, swallowed. "I left him. I stole a car and tried to go home, but I didn't clear the storm fast enough."

His eyes flickered. "Home?"

A booming, endless rumble thundered between them and Caroline jumped into Klaus. She pressed her face into his shoulder and gripped his waist hard; uncaring about how stupid that was, momentarily unconcerned about anything but having someone - something - to hold. He went completely still inside her panicked embrace, muscles locked together in one hard line. She didn't care. She just needed a minute and then she'd be able to let go.

Probably.

Then to her surprise, he curled one arm around her waist and the warmth of his palm cradled the base of her skull. She didn't think she could have pressed any closer, but his arm held her there.

"Do not read into this," Caroline mumbled into his shoulder, refusing to acknowledge her faint tremors. "I'm just really, really freaked out and it's been an awful day."

Klaus made a low noise and the next thing she knew, he sat in her previous position, and she was deposited on his lap - blanket and all. Caroline froze for a moment, hand curling into his shirt before she slowly let herself lean into him. His fingers were tangled in her hair, thumb brushing against the back of her neck.

"Explain to me," Klaus murmured, "why you are here and alone."

Caroline squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn't like she could hide whatever her friends were planning. And God, did she want to? How was it this mass murderer with a god-complex was more concerned about her well being - mental and physical - than her friends? Why was this her life?

"Caroline, now is not the time to test me."

"Don't threaten me right now, okay?" Caroline dug her nails into his ribs. "Not unless you plan on snapping my neck until this freaking storm is over and in that case, go right ahead."

"I don't plan on snapping your neck," Klaus said mildly. "Why would I when you're huddled so sweetly in my lap?"

She pinched him, satisfied when he jumped in surprise. "Stop it. This wasn't my idea okay? I was a hundred percent not consulted on this. The absolute last plan I would ever consider would be driving into an oncoming hurricane in the hopes of you losing my trail. Yes, I know I'm vampire and yes, I know it's just a storm and no, I do not care. Do people make fun of Elena for being deathly afraid of spiders? No. They do not. So not a word okay?"

His thumb never lost that soothing motion on her neck, the heat of him slowly easing the worst of her tremors, even if she couldn't stop the way she flinched at each loud boom.

"I'm not mocking you," Klaus replied. "But I am trying to understand exactly why you are here instead of with your 'epic love.'"

There was a bite to his words and Caroline snorted. So he had talked to her friends. They'd probably told him exactly what Tyler had suggested - that they'd run away together. Right. Like she'd do that to her mom.

"Ex-boyfriend."

Klaus hand curled around the base of her neck. "Ex?"

"I'm a forgiving person," Caroline muttered. "But seriously? A snapped neck, a freaking hurricane and somehow I ended up in your lap. Those are three major strikes - regardless of the reason."

"Now love," Klaus chided, lips curving at her temple. "I'm not so bad."

She huffed against his chest. "I've already told you to not read into this."

"Your heartbeat has slowed, your body is relaxing and you're no longer flinching as hard with each burst of thunder," Klaus told her, amusement lacing his voice. "What exactly am I supposed to read from that?"

Caroline squeezed her eyes shut. "You said I was safe with you, right? And really, I find you less scary than this storm so no, do not read into it."

His hand tightened on her neck, the stillness of him beneath her something no human could mimic. Then his free hand came up and lifted her chin, and suddenly Klaus was kissing her.

It was soft, a slow, lingering slide of his lips against hers. Caroline tightened her hold on his shirt, heard a seam pop as it bunched between her fingers, but he kept the kiss gentle, something undefinable tender about his hold. When he pulled back, he tucked her back under his chin and hummed, his hands tugging the blanket securely around her body.

Caroline stared at the wall, body vibrating. Licking her burning lips, she opened her mouth and then thought better of it. Instead, she slowly relaxed against the hard line of his chest and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she'd have to face the consequences of this, but right then… she felt safe. Klaus would use that - would use all of this - to try to cut her off from her friends, to tempt her into trusting him a little more. He'd chased her, how followed her and Tyler with the intention to hurt him (them) but had chosen to stay. Instead of hunting Tyler through the storm to prove he could, and he would have, if given the choice, he'd…

Picked her.

Again.

Tomorrow. She'd deal with this tomorrow.

 **Part 2:** **Morning After - Drabble Request Follow Up**

When Caroline woke, Klaus had moved them to the bed. Rain was still beating heavily against the building. What alarmed her wasn't the storm, but the way she was plastered across Klaus. Her cheek was pressed against his upper chest, her arms splayed on either side of his torso, and the rest of her was draped down his body like a blanket. A Caroline-blanket.

Her face was on fire.

"I did not fall asleep like this."

A low, rumbling in his chest that might have been a laugh echoed through her and she squeezed her eyes shut. Thank God she was wearing a bra; she'd be absolutely mortified if he'd felt the way her nipples went hard from that one noise.

"Good morning, love." Klaus said softly, fingers stroking down the line of her skull, twisting around a limp curl. "Better today?"

Slowly, she pushed herself up onto her elbows at stared at him. He looked awake and alert, which probably meant he hadn't slept and dear lord, how did a man look that sexy this early in the morning? Her brain did not need to go there.

"I'm going home." She said instead of answering. His hand slid down her spine and she narrowed her eyes in warning. His lips curved, his palm resting just above the curve of her ass. "I assume your going after Tyler?"

"Well now, that depends," Klaus drawled. His laid-back tone did nothing to offset the glint behind his eyes. "What will that cost me?"

Wary, Caroline pursed her lips. "What does that mean?"

"I've spent the last few hours with you tucked against me, the heat and smell of your skin digging into bone and muscle - I can only hope I linger the same way against you, love." His brow arched, dimples flirting at the edges of his smile. "I'm interested in what it will take to keep this; what must I do to slid my hands under you clothes, breath in your want like perfume?"

Caroline stared at him, lips slightly parted as she sucked in a breath. Swallowing heavily, she shook her head. "It's too early for this kind of talk."

He rolled her - a smooth flex of his muscle and Klaus was cradled between her thighs, looming over her startled face. "In a few hours, you'll have decided that last night was a fluke, your incredibly brilliant if overly suspicious brain will work to convince you I'm merely hunting for a weakness among your group. Let me help you. Elena is a vampire - I've no use for her, other than amusement. The Salvatore brothers combined stupidity is more vexing than amusing, and I'd have killed both of them but for an old friendship and you months ago. Tyler you cannot help, which you already knew or you'd never have left him. Have I not proved my willingness to admire, to adore you, sweetheart?"

Caroline chewed her lip nervously. "I don't want to trust you."

"But you do." He said, thumb sliding across her abused lower lip.

Carine remained silent and he smoothed her hair, eyes amused. "You fell asleep, Caroline."

"I was tired and stressed."

"I admire your spine, love - but what good does denying this attraction do?" Klaus canted his head, brows arching sharply. "Answer me this, then. Are you happy?"

Caroline froze.

"Does Mystic Falls, these precious friendships, the constant drama make you happy, Caroline?"

"People can't make other people happy." Caroline said softly. "It doesn't work like that."

"That's not an answer."

"That's what you getting." Caroline responded fiercely. He grinned, rolling away from her and standing. Warily, Caroline pushed into a sitting position.

"You have a car?" He asked.

"It's probably been reported stolen," Caroline muttered. Klaus paused, eyes laughing at her. She shrugged. "My mom is a cop. She doesn't condone it, but after I was turned she wanted to make sure I had options if I got into trouble."

"We'll find a different mode of transportation, then."

"And then what?"

"I'll get you home." Klaus handed her her shoes once she'd climbed off the bed. "Tomorrow, I'll take you out to dinner."

"Wait, what?"

His hands cupped her jaw, eyes glittering with the flecks of the predator under his skin. "You trust me. The fact that you don't deny, merely deflect says enough."

"Klaus…"

"Don't worry, little love. I plan on having a very interesting chat with your friends. I won't kill them unless they try to kill me - but no more gloves, do you understand? I will destroy them the next time they move against me, and if they involve you their deaths will last centuries."

"But…"

"How will you mother feel when she discovers what they'd planned?" Klaus interrupted. Her jaw clicked shut and he nodded, kissing her forehead.

"Dinner, tomorrow. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, be prepared to leave, Caroline."

The door shut behind him and she stood there dumbfounded. What exactly did Original hybrid's consider a dinner date? She tried to ignore the butterflies that had taken up in her stomach and didn't quite manage it.

How was she going to explain this to her mom?

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	21. Chapter 21

**Follows Chapter Six**

* * *

The heat was oppressive. In the distance was a lawnmower, grinding away at the heat dry grass. Heavy, fat mosquitoes and buzzing dragonflies were loud, muted voices low in the distance. Caroline stared blankly at the slab of rock of the grave in front of her, freshly dug.

Elizabeth Forbes.

She didn't bother reading the rest. Those were the only two words that mattered in the heat of Virginia. She hadn't breathed in two days and was terrified that the first lungful would break her. Air meant she'd have to accept the way her mother's perfume had faded, the tightness in her chest clamping down on her lungs. Behind her she heard footsteps, but she didn't turn.

"Caroline, it's time to go."

Had she been there an hour? Two? What did time matter now? It's sticky fingers had tugged and tugged, until her mom was gray and fragile, until Caroline was alone. Stefan at her back, somewhere in the distant parking lot she heard Elena.

And she was so gods forsaken alone.

"Go away," Caroline told Stefan, voice tired. Dull. Was it possible to rot from the inside, until she was as empty as she felt?

"Care…"

"I think you heard her, mate."

Caroline blinked, felt the world shift strangely into focus. Mild, tone blunt where everyone else had been tentative, something hot stretched in her veins. Caroline turned her head, and there he stood. Black on black suite, hands to casual in his pockets, Klaus' eyes never left her as he addressed Stefan.

"It's time for you to leave."

Caroline shuddered out a breath as his gaze continued to hold hers. The last time they'd seen each other, the brand of his mouth and his promise sizzled between them. Her monster stirred under her skin, pulled at by grief and the faintest touch of danger. Klaus smiled at her, dimples creasing his cheeks.

"I've got her now. Ready, sweetheart?"

* * *

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	22. Chapter 22

Livingblondedeadqueen: "Caroline comes across Klaus after he massacres the Hybrids. Bonus if Hayley dies."

* * *

Caroline was pissed. First, Hayley breaks her neck and then Tyler brushes it off. Tries to placate her, standing in his home the smells like the she-wolf, a nervous twitch behind his gaze.

No, actually, it wasn't okay.

No, actually, she wasn't okay with it.

Standing in the woods, face tear-damp from rage and frustration, she took a deep shuddering breath and froze. Slowly, Caroline turned her head and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in alarm.

"Hello, sweetheart."

The low, dangerous tone had her stomach clenching in alarm as a blood soaked Klaus watched her with a wolf's eyes. Swallowing heavily, Caroline blinked wet lashes. "Klaus."

Unblinking, Klaus moved through the moonlight until he was pressed into her personal space. Dangerous. He was so dangerous, right then.

"Did you know?"

She met those eyes, held them. Didn't flinch from the bloody hand that gripped her chin, even as her insides trembled. "What did you do?"

He laughed, a low noise that left her wary. "What I usually do with traitors, love. Although I feel that those deaths were far more merciful than they deserved, and maybe I should make another example tonight."

Klaus dragged hot, bloody fingers down her throat, traced rust and stain against her skin. "Was it a ruse, Caroline?"

They both knew there was only one thing he could be asking about. Not with the smell of hybrid blood on him. Her lips trembled, heart rapid in her chest. "Yes."

Those eyes lifted back to hers. They glowed with rage, with a violence he'd never directed at her, a feral thirst that left her trembling. She waited for the pain, but it never came, just those blood damp strokes of his fingertips. "And what am I going to do with you, Caroline Forbes?"

Her breath hitched and he smiled, teeth white behind the streaks in his beard. "So beautiful with your broken eyes and tears in the moonlight. Not just Tyler, then. Hayley and I will be having a conversation soon. I'll be surprised if she survives it."

"Stop it," Caroline rasped, straining not to give ground.

"Tyler betrayed me," Klaus said as he dragged a hand down her side. "He betrayed you. Will you stand between us, love, defend the boy who cast you so easily aside?"

"Klaus," Caroline started, voice biting between them and he slid his hands against her skin. Stopping her words.

"I want you to remember something, Caroline," he gripped the back of her neck, pulled her close to his face. "In the coming days as I strip my enemies of their flesh; I want you to remember this moment. How easily I could have stripped you bare with words and hands, driven you to the earth with my cock. Demanded your body give me the recompense your previous lover owes me."

She tilted her chin. Parted her lips to argue and he took her mouth with a slick slide of his tongue. He tasted of death - the mingling of the hybrids rich on his tongue. He kissed her until her head spun, bloody hands possessive on her throat; until her monster shimmered to the surface, fangs a sting against his lips.

Klaus lifted his head and smiled. Caroline shuddered out a breath, stunned at her own reaction. Licked her blood smeared lips.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Caroline."

* * *

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	23. Chapter 23

kc + caroline licking klaus's bloody fingers clean

* * *

Caroline stared at her bloody fingers with stunned eyes. Blood dripped slowly down her arm, cooled along her skin and she couldn't move. Around her, the world had descended into chaos. The veil was down, wolves, vampires and witches had descended on her prom like a bad remake of Carrie.

She held Tyler Lockwood's heart in her hand.

Silas was free.

Tyler had come to her with a cure in his pocket, a smile in his eyes and the weight of utter betrayal. Humanity was to be her reward for his freeing Silas. Mortality instead of eternity.

"We'll finally be free, Caroline." Tyler had whispered in her ear, hands hot on her hips. "We'll be free."

A movement to close, and Caroline twisted her head to bare fangs at whatever monster was near her. Except it was Klaus. Klaus standing in unending black, face streaked with blood, eyes hybrid-gold. His gaze slammed into hers and the expression behind there had Tyler's heart falling from suddenly nerveless fingers.

Klaus dragged his eyes down her body, lips curling into something wild. His dimples deepened as he took in Tyler before he met her gaze again. The air charged between them, the small hairs on her arms lifting as he prowled towards her. All around them people were dying and Caroline couldn't look away from the want on his face.

He smelled like spicy cologne and blood. Tongue tracing his upper lip, his blood slicked hand caught her fingers. Slowly, gaze holding hers, his tongue brushed hot and wet against her palm. Caroline should've been worrying about her mom, where her friends were and how to put the veil back up. Instead, her lips parted on a shaky breath, and her monster pushed against her skin.

Klaus took his time. Each stroke of his tongue languid; he traced every drop of blood down her wrist, across the base of her fingers. Then with a glittering look behind his gaze that left her blood thrumming, he slowly sucked each finger clean. Lashes heavy, she couldn't help the little shuddering pant as his teeth dragged against her skin.

Her skin felt too tight, the hot flush of arousal visible in her cheeks and the tops of her breasts. Klaus finally lowered her hand, pupils dark against the gold of his gaze. Reaching up, he stroked his bloody fingers down the column of her throat.

"I'm afraid tonight's going to be a touch messy love," Klaus murmured, voice nearly a purr. "I'll make it up to you."

Stepping forward, boot crushing noisily against Tyler's heart, Klaus pulled her into the fray.

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	24. Chapter 24

Drabble Prompt: kc + "You need to stop leaving dead bodies in my kitchen."

* * *

Caroline opened the door without a single with zero fucks to give about her appearance. Her hair was still in the messy ponytail from sleep, her shirt was from high school and the shorts were bright orange. She very determinedly glared at the man whose balcony was next to hers.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"There are dead rabbits on my balcony. How the fuck does your wolf even manage that?"

An arched brow, and his gaze dragged down her body in a way that had her sparks of awareness igniting under her skin. Those blue eyes of his were flecked by gold when they met hers again and she glared.

"Magic," he murmured as he brushed by her, the hard line of his chest sliding against breasts. She jerked back, and he glanced at her from narrowed eyes. Caroline lifted her chin stubbornly and she growled a little when his lips curled.

Klaus Mikaelson was the bane of her existence. He'd moved into the apartment next to hers six months ago and turned her life upside down. The whole werewolf thing didn't really bother her, her hometown was chalked full of weird supernatural beings. And she honestly been more relieved at having a werewolf next door - added security and all that.

It taken her a few weeks to figure out that his soft spoken, dimpled smiles masked a ruthless and determined personality that boarded on arrogance. That had been a bloody disastrous date. God, Alpha's. Been there, done that, got the freaking t-shirt.

Then his wolf had apparently fixated on her.

And now she was getting dead, furry presents every full moon. Well, just because she grow up rural and knew her war around an assortment of firearms did not mean she was touching dead anything. So for the past few months, she woke up irritable and to the sound of Klaus knocking on her door for dead animal removal.

"You know, this would stop if you'd let me apologize," Klaus told her, pausing just inside her sliding glass door.

Caroline crossed her arms. "Apologize for what? The dead bunnies? The date disaster from hell? The constant irritation if your siblings giving me the stink eye when they visit? The fact that your breathing?"

A slow, curling smile that did horribly wonderful things with his dimples and his lashes lowered. The full impact of that look made her stomach jump. She struggling to control her bodies reaction to him, knowing he'd catch even the faintest scent of arousal.

Plus, this shirt did nothing to hide her chest.

Sue her, alright? It was comfortable.

Klaus pulled out a garbage back out of his pocket and she watched as he cleared her balcony. He tossed the bag over the separating rail before sauntering back into her kitchen to wash her hands. She argued with him those first two mornings, declaring he could just jump across the rail himself.

"Now love, you might be okay with the supernatural, but let's not scare the neighbors."

Caroline tapped her foot impatiently as he washed Klaus washed his hands. She wanted coffee and food, and he needed to leave. She didn't expect Klaus to turn to her with determination on his face and stalk her across her kitchen until her back hit a wall. His arms caged her, chest nearly touching her breasts.

"Let me make you breakfast," he'd lowered his voice to an invitation, dimples flirting.

"Oh yeah, bunny and pancakes, sounds great. No." Caroline crossed her arms and refused to acknowledge that faint catch to her words. Nope.

"Caroline, don't you think this grudge has gone on long enough?" Klaus drawled, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"Have you considered it's just you?" She retorted, both brows arched. "This is bullying."

His lips pressed hot against her ear; she shuddered out a gasp, the feel and smell of him dizzying. "It's not my wolf that you dislike, although you know exactly what I am. When I find this baby Alpha who hurt you, I'm going to tear him into shreds."

"Seriously?" She strained for calm, tried not to press her nose just underneath his jaw to breath in the scent of him. More of him.

Klaus nipped her ear, licked the slight sting; Caroline bit her lip hard to hold down a moan. "You want me. I can smell it. But every time you push me away. My wolf wants to sink into you, lick and stroke every stubborn, slick inch of you until you melt. I want to spread you against my sheets and make you beg. Listen to you sob my name, until your voice breaks, so that when you finally come around my cock your completely spent. I think about you, do close every night and I'm tired of aching alone."

Klaus pulled back and smiled at her, deliberately taking a deep breath. He groaned, hands flexing against the wall. His head tipped, until those mouths were a hair's breadth apart. "You can't deny this forever."

The tip of her tongue skated across her lip. His eyes bled wolf gold. She planted a hand on his chest. "Yes I can."

Klaus let her push him away, jaw tight but then he smiled. Settling his hands in his pockets, he turned and headed to her door. "You realize, the longer you deny this, the sweeter your surrender?"

She rolled her eyes. "Go away."

"Oh, and Caroline?"

"What?"

A wicked smile, eyes full of heat and want, that determination that left her faltering. "I've got excellent hearing, love."

The door shut as she gaped at him, body flushing bright red at his implication. Hands, cradling her cheeks she pursed her lips and eyed her bathroom.

Two could play that game.

 **Bonus Scene:**

Klaus stood on his balcony, bare feet nearly uncomfortable against the hot concrete. The moving van frustrated his wolf, the constant in and out of strangers riding territorial instincts; it didn't matter if his kingdom was metal and wood, the hot smells of tar and exhaust. Gripping the railing with one hand, he scoured the area below him, looking for his new neighbor.

A flash of bright, blond hair and sharp, irritated directions finally caught his attention. Narrowing his gaze against the glare, Klaus stilled. She was pretty, in the way few truly were. But it was the fierceness of her gaze as she snarled over boxes, the way she showed her blunt human teeth that arrested his attention.

Hands dipping into his pockets, he angled his head to better watch the movements of her hands, the way she held herself.

Maybe he'd introduce himself after all.

* * *

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	25. Chapter 25

Drabble Prompt: TVD!Klaus prompt: Alternate take on Klaus' first interaction with Caroline in 3x05. Thank you :)

* * *

"I can't do it anymore, you understand, right? Can you imagine? I'll no longer be bound by the moon. I'll be free."

Caroline stared at her boyfriend and shook her head, pulling away from his grasping hands. "That's not freedom."

Tyler rand his hands through his hair, gaze hardening. "He said you might not understand."

"Who? Klaus? Tyler tell me you haven't been discussing our relationship with a thousand year old monster."

A shrug. "He understands."

Caroline squeezed her eyes shut. She'd known from the moment that Elena had introduced her to Elijah Mikaelson that they were in trouble. He was the epitome of old world curtesy, detailing the curse that afflicted his brother, the horrendous requirements to break it.

The part that Elena's blood must be play.

"We would forever be in your debt," Elijah had said simply, to Elena's family. "We do not forget, what we owe."

She'd walked away, because something felt off, a bone deep wariness that she couldn't shake. The monster beneath her skin did not trust easily, and Elijah had blinked at the mention of Katherine; something old and covetous twisting behind those eyes. His words towards Caroline had been quietly sympathetic, and they too had felt wrong.

"I must apologize for any difficulty Katerina's actions have brought you, Ms. Forbes. Our history is a colorful one. "

Carine had hated the curiosity in his gaze, the way he looked at her if he could strip her bones, discover why she'd been changed. She sincerely doubted that 'colorful' was even close to being the correct word for the dangerous vampire who wore Elena's face.

If Elijah had asked, she'd have told him of the Salvatore brothers, the biting smile on Katherine's face as she promised the game was still on. But Damon was missing and Stefan had stood with Elena during the night of the full moon. One of the 'volunteers.' The reason her friend had risen, at the cost of Stefan's life.

The entire situation made her skin crawl.

She'd yanked her mom forcibly out of Mystic Falls and spent the weekend in Richmond, during the ritual. Made an effort at avoiding the entire affair. Now, her boyfriend was speaking of freedom as if Klaus Mikaelson would give it. As if he was trustworthy.

"Look, come with me." Tyler says fiercely. "You can keep watch. It'll be fine."

Her skin crawled at the suggestion and she shook her head. Wondered whose suggestion she was hearing. "No."

"No?" Tyler repeated, blinking stupidly at her.

"No, Tyler, I'm not going to watch. I'm not going with you. If this is what you want, fine. But I don't have to be part of it." Caroline squared her shoulders, heart hurting. "You know I think their dangerous. Did you tell him that too?"

"That's just you being smart," Tyler dismissed. Parroting words back at her; his tone one would use for a skeptical or unruly child."Everyone fears what they don't understand. You just need to see the bigger picture."

Yeah, no. "I think we need to take a break."

"What?" Tyler looked like she'd completely blindsided him.

"I'm breaking up with you," Caroline said firmly.

"Don't be stupid, Caroline," Tyler warned, stepping into her space. "Things are changing."

"No, you're changing. I'm still me," she put a hand in his chest and pushed. "And if it's all the same, I'll stay me."

She knew the horror of being compelled, but this blind allegiance was nearly worse. How did they not see the snake oil of his tongue? Klaus might've been, from everything she'd heard, amazingly charming and magnetic, but so was Satan. Sunday school had been very clear about that, and religious non-belief aside, some lessons you should remember.

"You'll regret this," Tyler warned, eyes burning.

Caroline said nothing as he walked away. It hurt, watching him leave. But Tyler was right, things were changing. Battle lines were being drawn for a war she didn't understand and she was done with being a pawn. If she had to compel her mother and disappear, she would.

A sudden feeling of being watched crawled down her spine and her eyes scanned the yard just as a figure melted out if the tree line. Her insides went cold, a gut-deep knowing settling over her as she stared at Klaus Mikaelson for the first time. Rumpled curls, startling blue eyes and dimples. He said nothing for a long moment, and she watched him warily.

Then, with a low chuckle, he swept into a formal bow, lifting up with a smile that was incredibly charming if not for the pit behind his eyes.

"Well done, sweetheart. Perhaps this town isn't quite so boring after all."

"Eavesdropping is rude," the words tripped off her tongue, spine perfectly straight.

Another flash of dimples and he turned away. "I look forward to knowing you, Caroline Forbes."

Not if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

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	26. Chapter 26

I broke my rule regarding stories based on movies. But it was for willowaus and her klarolinegivesback request. This is loosely based on The Labyrinth, which was released in 1986 and direct by Jim Henson. If you haven't seen it, all I can say is David Bowie in those pants.

* * *

Knuckles throbbing, Caroline raced barefoot down an endless hallway. She'd no idea where her shoes had gone, but every frantic instinct she possessed was screaming to run. Away from the unknown bed she woke in with the stranger staring down at her.

So she did.

A door caught her eye and she pried it open and slammed it behind her, breath heaving in her oxygen starved lungs. Turning, she went to continue her flight and froze. Lips parting, heart pounding loudly in her ears, she slowly sank to the floor.

Staircases.

The room was filled with beautiful stone staircases, and they seemed to disobey any laws of gravity. They curved upside down, twisted into impossible spirals, and wrapped along the underside of sheer surfaces.

As the adrenaline faded, leaving behind panic and confusion, Caroline realized the air was catching the light in ways that were _impossible_. Blinking, she caught her lip tightly between her teeth.

She'd seen this room before. It was a distant thought, an echo of her childhood or an old painting. She couldn't quite remember the details, but this… she _knew_ this.

"Where the fuck am I?"

"This particular room is called the Escher room. It's part of my domain, little human."

Caroline shot to her feet, twisted on her toes to face the man she'd punched. She'd seen him go down, knew she'd cold clocked him. Her hand throbbed enough that he should've been sporting some kind of mark.

Glittering blue eyes, wild curls, and pointed ears. Caroline blinked twice, eyes going wide as her gaze darted back to those ears. She took a single step back, swallowing. "Fuck."

A blade of a smile softened by intriguing dimples, and she inched further back as he bowed. "Welcome to the Labyrinth. I'm Klaus, the Goblin King."

"Abductor of unsuspecting women?" Caroline demanded, keeping her weight on her toes.

"You've been offered as tribute," he said tone surprisingly mild.

"Like hell I have," she snapped, eyes narrowing. "Take me home!"

A sudden sound vibrated the very air around them. She winced, clapping her hands over her ears and that bladed smile sharpened.

"It looks like Elena Gilbert has chosen to run the maze. She has thirteen hours. If she is successful, then you are both free to return home. If she is not…"

Caroline took a step forward, eyes snapping. "I'm not staying here."

He shrugged. "Can you even find your way out if this room?"

He disappeared without a sound and she gasped. Worse, the door behind him had disappeared as well. Hand going to her mouth, she turned and stared at winding room and swallowed.

Now what?

* * *

Caroline had stopped believing in fairy tales when she was sudden caught in a nasty custody battle between her parents. Her mom the cop, her dad the businessman who was never home. In the end she stayed with her mom, spent summers with her dad, and was so alone her bones ached. For a little while, she buried that hurt in stories, hunting for mermaids in creek beds and listening for howls in the woods.

When she was fourteen and gangly, she put away her princess books, her colorful binders and changed tracks. Her mom didn't have time for fanciful stories, so neither did she. Plain binders, rulers and organizational charts took over her life. She found that she was so much better at being practical, but those summers looking for magic never quite left her. So when she graduated college, she stared down at Jeremy Gilbert as he offered her a ring.

For that single moment, she saw her future ahead of her; endless sporting events with her children, never ending Gilbert Family gatherings. A lifetime of excusing one drug addict sister and pretending that the spoiled Elena mattered to her.

Boring.

Her future looked hideously boring and she panicked. With a dry throat and soft words, she broke a good man's heart. She said no.

Caroline moved to London.

Packed up her things, quit her job and just left everything behind. The visa took some doing, but she made it work. And living a country that boasted green hills and the land of fairies, it brought back a little of that old, childhood magic.

"I should have married Jeremy," Caroline whispered to herself. Except she couldn't turn back the clock and even now, she found herself unable to regret more than hurting him. Pushing back those memories, she took a slow breath, her eyes clenched tightly.

She'd found if she didn't look, each slow step became less terrifying. There was nothing normal or human about walking on an upside down staircase, her hair hanging into the drop below her. As long as her eyes stayed shut, she could pretend the staircase was just the one in the Lockwood Mansion and not throw up.

She might punch that ass in the face for this, but there was no way in hell she was puking up her guts. She was going home. If she had to crawl her way out of here, she would.

That first step had been a near thing.

Cracking her eyes open, she took a quick look to see where she was and her eyes stayed open without her permission. A gasp catching in her throat, she looked around at the world and a laugh bubbled in her chest. Lip between her teeth, she stared at the ceiling from her position on the arch of the staircase and inexplicably smiled. Reached out both hands to try to catch one of those burning flecks in the air.

 _Magic_.

It was _real_.

Eyes narrowing as she thought of this Klaus, of Elena Gilbert somehow being involved in this madness and her joy vanished. Jaw firming, she set off with quick strides through the staircases.

So she _wasn_ 't going to make it out _was she_?

When her feet touched the ground she scowled furiously at the wall in front of her. Careful fingertips touched the wall, and she leaned close when she found it warm. God, why couldn't she have studied mythology or taken at least one English Lit class in college? Magic wasn't her strong point. If this nut job needed his library organized or needed someone to figure out place settings, she could totally do that.

But magic?

Sighing, she frantically tried to remember her bedtime stories from her childhood. Not the Disney ones, but the ones her dad used to tell her that gave her nightmares.

Fuck it.

Her mom always said you could afford to be nice, mean was always easy later. Labyrinths were supposed to be alive or something right? Her World History class had been ages ago and at eight A.M. but she remembered something about that…

"I'm terribly sorry," Caroline to the wall. Her voice wavered and she swallowed before clearing her throat again. Did it matter if she seemed ridiculous? "Would you mind if I could please have a door? The staircases are lovely, but I've never been in a magical castle before. Can I see more?"

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a door appeared.

Oh, boy

* * *

Klaus stared moodily across the expanse of the Labyrinth. The skies were dark, the sky deepening with a brewing storm. He could hear her groans as she shifted, his Labyrinth, the breathtaking scenery shifting to something suitable to scare an adult. There was darkness blooming in the heart of his maze, and he was intrigued by it.

It'd been some time since an adult had called upon his magic. Elena Gilbert was spiteful, filled with a curious anger and endless guilt, all of it directed at the golden haired woman who had caught him by complete surprise.

He touched his jaw, lips quirking at the memory of that punch. How startled she been to see him, disbelief buried under a fierceness he admired.

Not that it mattered.

A quick look into Caroline Forbes' life has shown him a life well regimented. He doubted there was any room for dreams and the playfulness of a maze so old, his own people had forgotten what she was capable of. Klaus had spent eons at her heart, and would remain until the stars crumbled.

The Labyrinth called to dreamers. Hunted for them though the human realm. The villagers that housed those rare humans who mingled easily with goblins and the strange, often dangerous citizens who lived with the ever changing Labyrinth. When he'd felt the first tug of being summoned after so many years, he'd been intrigued.

Very few dared to call on the old magic in the world. Not since religion and iron had sent his brethren running, his family desperate for the protection his magic provided so many years after they'd cursed him with this kingdom. But Klaus had found redemption here, in the old stones and changing landscapes, had found power his father had once mocked. Now, eons had past, and they lived in their underhills, magic crippled by their own limitations while he flourished.

Human are such interesting creatures.

Finding a woman grown calling on his power, a golden haired temptation waiting upon his return was completely outside the norm. It was the only reason that punch had caught him. Looking at a clock, his lips curled. Almost time to check up on his runner.

But first, he'd see how Caroline was faring.

Klaus wondered how that logical brain examined the magic in the Escher room?

* * *

"What are you doing in _here_?"

Caroline looked up to see the Goblin King striding towards her, eyes glittering. For a moment, the way that shirt and those ridiculous pants clung to him distracted her. He was surprisingly gorgeous, despite his clothing, even as he glared at her all menacing.

She liked his eyes.

"Oh, it's you," Caroline dismissed before turning her gaze back to the stacks and stacks of books so perfectly organized. She couldn't read their titles, but everything seemed to have its place. If there was a couch, she'd nap in this room. Instead, she apologized profusely to the air and crawled onto a table to just _look_.

She didn't trust the floor or the books. No way she was touching any of them. With the way her day was going, she get sucked into one and and never escape.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

She sighed and glanced at him, and startled to find him so close. For a moment she stared at him, the scent she couldn't name that he brought with him filling her lungs. There was something about his eyes she couldn't read and she glared right back. _Personal space_.

"Do people occupy this castle? Or is it just big enough to house you and your ego? I'm assuming it's a castle, I'm having a hard time finding _windows_."

"Having a…" His words died abruptly, and his head tilted. Those alien eyes burned through her and she stubbornly held his gaze. "How did you find your way here?"

Caroline made a put upon noise. "Well, after you locked me in the staircase room…"

"I did no such thing," he denied, arms crossing. He stared at her, and awareness crackled down her spine.

"You made a dramatic, glittery exit and the doors went with you? I'm pretty sure we can add holding me hostage to my list of grievances with you."

"You have a list?" He sounded momentarily bemused.

Caroline held up her left hand, using her fingers to emphasize each point. "You abducted me. I'm a magical hostage. You don't have the decency to stay unconscious."

Both of his brows arched. "Interesting, that you blame me for your appearance here."

"Should I blame someone else?"

"The Labyrinth is old, and her magic is peculiar. Do you think it so easy, to catch her attention? That it is just a simple matter of saying the right words? There are certain lures, scattered throughout the world, but those target dreamers. Children and adolescents who have no idea the power they carry. The magic they shape. Rare, to find adults who hold dreaming precious. Elena Gilbert is not one of them."

That stung, his belief that she didn't have dreams. That hers weren't strong enough to merit this magical world. Caroline lifted her chin. Even if true, he was still an _ass_.

"Great - Elena and I aren't dreamers. Are you _sure_? Elena has always had her head in the clouds. Maybe you just didn't know about her?"

"I'm rarely wrong about a maze runner," Klaus turned his gaze to the wall, brows furrowed. "The Labyrinth has a darkness to it that I haven't seen in centuries. It'll be interesting, peeling away her layers until we come to the truth of this situation."

That sounded fun. Not.

"Well, it's been what, an hour? Two? Maybe you should go bother her instead of me. I don't ask for any of this, much less being _harassed_."

He glanced at her, a sharpness behind his eyes. "No? Perhaps not, but I'm curious, Caroline Forbes, as to what it is about you that drove Ms. Gilbert to wishing you away."

She straightened, eyes snapping with temper as he twisted his hand, a curious globe suddenly rolling across his knuckles. She might have caught flashes of something inside, but she refused to look too hard.

" _I didn't tell you my name!"_

Another of those bladed smiles and her knuckles throbbed in warning as she fisted her right hand. "I know a great deal about anyone in the Labyrinth, love. Let's put you somewhere you can stay out of trouble."

He tossed the crystal and she yelped, sliding back to avoid the glass, but it shattered into brilliant sparks of magic and the world went sideways. The strangled scream in her throat was followed by echoing laughter as she landed on a bed. A quick glance showed her there was a continued lack of windows, and she cursed the air blue.

 _That ass._

* * *

Maybe it was petty, dropping her back into her room without any warning, but that didn't stop his smile at her cry of alarm. He hesitated for a moment, studied her through a crystal as she swore colorfully. She'd made it out of the Escher room, and had found his library. The look of wonder, the curling smile on her truly lovely face shouldn't have caught him so tightly in the chest.

Beautiful humans had walked his Labyrinth before. Perhaps they hadn't carried sunshine hair and spitting eyes, but they had come. And none had faced him with such a lack of concern of his magic or temper. This one was too sharp, too organized…

Yet…

Curious, that she wasn't being granted a view of the labyrinth. He made a mental note to look into that a little more when he'd a chance. The Labyrinth loved to preen.

A puzzle for later.

Elena Gilbert was moving at a slow, steady pace once she'd figured out the actual entrance to the maze; well, the false entrance that lead to the winding paths. In all his years, he'd only had a single runner back track on the word of the labyrinth's inhabitants suggestion. He lived near the edge of the maze, and could be found most days strolling through the Firey's woods.

Twisting a crystal, he studied his runner with narrowed eyes. Those tears seemed genuine as Elena had sat down in front of the The Four Guards; her helpless frustration a familiar sight. But while his Lady Labyrinth did not speak in many words, she was capable of expressing herself just fine.

And the continued darkness told him much.

His eyes flicked to the clock and he threw up his feet. Eight hours to go, and he wasn't sure this would be one of the successful runs. Pity. Although bothering Caroline was nearly as entertaining as the small, curious children he usually had with him.

Bored, he spun a crystal and looked in on Caroline. Expecting to find her asleep or pacing, both brows arched high as he realized her room was empty. Feet landing on the floor, Klaus glared to the empty room.

And where was his little human guest now?

* * *

If the pointy-eared, gorgeous hobgoblin thought she was staying in her room like a good little captive, he was going to be in for a surprise. A very polite request to please, please let her go outside had ended up with a door to a hallway and a staircase that went had gone down forever. Where had he put her? A tower?

How fairytale villain of him.

Especially considering those _pants_.

But after the endless climb down, she eased open a door and grinned at the sight of a garden. Walking out gingerly, her bare feet sank into lush grass. Laughing, she twisted around and backed up. Looking up at the impressive castle, she moved a few feet away and felt her breath catch in her throat.

Expanding out in every direction was what seemed like an endless maze. While it was sunny where she stood, it was a storm around them. Wild winds tore at trees and lightning flashes in the sky. The air smelled like rain and she shivered.

"That's the maze?" She murmured, arms folding around her waist.

"A Labyrinth isn't supposed to be easy," Klaus' voice said from behind her. She nearly jumped, but caught herself. Grumbling, she closed her eyes. His voice really was unfair.

" _Must_ you keep following me?"

A snort, and Klaus strolled into her peripheral vision and Caroline twisted her head to stare. Then she started laughing, hard enough that she bent over at the waist, hair falling into her face.

"Are you done?"

"What," Caroline gasped, wiping her eyes. "Are you _wearing_?"

"Elena Gilbert's idea of what a villain should be wearing," Klaus said with a shrug. "It's not the worst outfit."

"Oh god, please, go back to the other pants. I can't look at you." She squeezed her eyes shut as laughter bubbled in her chest. "Please."

A soft noise, like glitter in the air, and she peaked open an eye to see him in something much simpler. Caroline wasn't sure if that was better, with his wild hair and feral eyes.

"How did you find your way into the garden, Caroline?"

She blinked at the edge to his voice. The glitter behind his eyes. "I asked."

"Asked _who_?"

"Don't growl at me," she said firmly. "And how am I supposed to know? I just asked, okay? Whatever invisible person/spell/thing is listening, responds really well to politeness. Have you tried that lately, being polite?"

"That's impossible," Klaus dismissed, the bones of his cheekbones sharp with temper.

Caroline compressed her lips to corral her temper before she spoke. "Pity asking this place to drop something on your head would be _rude_."

Those gorgeous eyes narrowed, until he was sudden watching her through his lashes; he stepped into her personal space. There air changed between them, unexpected sparks playing against her nerves. "If remember correctly, sweetheart, you punched me. Was that not rude?"

Her mouth ran dry, breath catching in her lungs. There was no way he was flirting with lifted her him and waved him off, barely masking a wince. "You big baby, you scared me, that was entirely your fault. _What_ …"

Her words died as he caught her right wrist with his gloved hand, turned her arm over as his fingers came up to touch her angry knuckles. Awareness shivered down her spine.

"What are you doing?" Her voice had a faint rasp to his she hoped he didn't catch.

Klaus made a low, impatient noise and dropped her hand to peel off his gloves. Caroline sucked in surprised breath, as he reached for her hand again, his skin shockingly warm. She went still as he traced bruised and broken skin with calloused fingertips.

"You should have said something," he murmured, the bladed edge of his voice gone, replaced with something softer, rougher.

"Your jaw is as stubborn as you are," she said, ignoring the tremor in her voice. "It's fine."

He glanced up at her, amusement plain on his face. "And I'm stubborn, love?"

Caroline shrugged, tried to ignore the flip of her stomach at that casual _love_. "I've had worse. Some ice and…"

Her words died as heat flared out, and his fingers skimmed bone and tendon. The ache disappeared, the worst of the redness fading until her fingers were undamaged. She stared at her hand in stunned silence.

"You're probably hungry."

Her hand was tingling and she swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was told something about eating Goblin Fruit. Pretty sure it was a no."

Did it say anything about Goblin Men?

The smile the curled his lips was wicked. "' _One must not look at Goblin men; one must not buy their fruit_.' Christina Rossetti had an interesting perspective, considering she'd never run the Labyrinth. And I'm not a Goblin, Caroline."

Caroline tugged her hand free, shivered at the way his fingers dragged across her skin. She failed at hiding her curiosity as she glanced at him from under her lashes. "Do you spend a lot of time reading human books?"

Something about that searching gaze left her breath hitching in her lungs. His thoughtful gaze skimmed her face and it was her imagination that he lingered on her lips. Before he could answer, something boomed through the air. Klaus head snapped around and he narrowed his gaze, temper turning his eyes brilliant.

Her breath caught.

"Go inside and stay _there_ this time."

Caroline turned and looked at the maze and swallowed. The air was churning. She couldn't help but hope Elena was okay.

* * *

Klaus stared at the human girl watching him with frightened eyes. The oubliette was flared with light, the usual darkness banished as the broken, tear stained face stared at him.

"What did you do?"

Elena started sobbing, and Klaus ground his teeth. He didn't have time for this. The clock was ticking down, hours to go, but instinct was itching at him.

"She said she wouldn't hurt her."

Klaus narrowed his eyes, head angling. "I beg pardon?"

"She was going to kill Jeremy. I didn't know what else to do."

"Jeremy?" Klaus cocked his head, recognition flaring in the back of his brain. "Jeremy Gilbert ran the Labyrinth."

Elena let out a wet noise. "For Vicky."

"How is it, that I did not recognize you?" Klaus murmured. "You should be familiar to my magic"

"She changed me. It hurt."

Klaus stared at her, magic pulsing in warning. "Who?"

"I don't know, but she had my face." Another heaving sob. "She had _my face_. She needed a runner and Caroline broke Jeremy's heart, and I just want to go _home_."

He went utterly still. "You're a doppelganger?"

"What does that even _mean_?"

But Klaus had already vanished.

* * *

"So you're Caroline."

Caroline turned from where she'd been wandering down a hall, trying to find the stairs that led to her room. Elena was walking towards her, lips curled in a smile that left her wary.

"Elena?"

"Not quite."

There was a glitter and then fire exploded in her stomach and Caroline went down. She blinked at what looked like a hilt and tried to find air, but there was none. Agony clawed into her gut and the tears that filled her eyes burned.

A soft, gentle fingertip caught them and then this monster with Elena's face licked her finger clean. "No hard feelings, pretty girl? I've been paid an excellent sum for this, and you're just collateral damage."

Hands coming up to press against the blood, she stared with shocked eyes as Elena smiled at her.

"Not even the Goblin King can heal a wound caused with cold iron." She clucked her tongue. "He doesn't even know I'm here and that silky chit is stuck in an oubliette. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't die alone."

It hurt, it hurt so much but she glared at the monster in front of her and hissed out between her teeth. "Go to hell."

"Such spirit," her head tilted, long hair falling perfectly across one shoulder. "You're a fascinating little bit of sunshine, aren't you? Oh, how the Labyrinth will eat itself in rage at how close it was. So close."

" _Katerina."_

A flash of lightning, and Klaus was there. His eyes glittered with golden sparks and his curls moved in an invisible wind. Caroline sucked in one shocked breath, couldn't manage another.

"You lose, Goblin King," Katerina laughed, jumping to her feet eyes wild. "The tribute dies! Not even you can move the stars to save her!"

A flick of his wrist, and Katerina screamed as she disappeared. Klaus was suddenly in front of her, holding her face. " _Caroline_."

She blinked, trying to focus. "Is… Elena o-kay?"

He hissed, a noise she didn't expect and stared at her with a white face. The air started to shift, and she thought she heard thunder in the distance. But she couldn't look away from the wild eyes boring into her.

"I need you to keep looking at me, sweetheart."

She let her eyes drift close instead. Everything was going ice cold, and the pain was fading. She tried to tell him it was okay, but she wasn't sure she managed. The heat of his hands didn't fade as she went under, and the last few words she heard she didn't understand.

* * *

Caroline woke with a gasp, hand flying to her stomach. She was in her flat, her alarm blaring in the background and she stared blurry eyed at it until she finally realized she needed to turn it off. Rubbing her eyes warily, she slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

It'd been a week since she'd woken exactly like today, gasping for air and crying. Thankfully, she hadn't repeated the tears, but the she couldn't shake the dreams

Elena wasn't answering her phone calls.

She wasn't brave enough to call Jeremy.

Honestly, she'd just brush the whole thing off as too much champagne or a really vivid dream. Except sometimes she swore she could see little glimmers of light. Like glitter.

Huffing, she slammed the kettle onto the stove and shivered. A sudden, unexpected knock on her door went unanswered. She did not have the patience to deal with one of her neighbors complaining about her hours again.

Another, more insistent knock and she ground teeth. Stomping into her foyer, not caring if she was disturbing anyone else, she yanked the door open. "What?"

The rest of her temper died as she found herself staring into a pair of brilliant, alien eyes. Her lips parted, and she gaped at the sight of Klaus, decked out in a sweater and jeans, the leather cords of necklaces around his neck.

"Hello, Caroline."

"Klaus," she managed, sounding as bewildered as she felt. "What…"

One side of his mouth curled, and heat unexpectedly curled in her stomach. "Are you going to invite me in?"

"I don't know," she informed him, eyes narrowed. "Is this like a vampire thing? Once I invite you in, you're like a cockroach and you never leave?"

His smile widened, the faintest hint of dimples in his cheeks. "That's hardly flattering, love. And this time, no. It's a one time visit, if you will."

Disappointment was sudden and unexpected. She turned on her heel to hide it and headed into the kitchen to finish making tea. "Fine. Come in."

"Thank you," Klaus murmured as he shut the door. He trailed behind her, eyes dragging over her things before he joined her.

"So why are you here?" Caroline said finally. "Elena isn't returning my calls. Do you know anything about that?"

"She'll be home soon enough."

She spun and glared at him, mug being set down hard. "Excuse me?"

Klaus shrugged. "She cheated."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're unbelievable."

He was suddenly close enough to cup her jaw with one are hand, stare down at her face imperiously. "You nearly died."

"Yet," She said coolly, "I'm not the one holding the grudge."

"I will release her as soon as the Labyrinth releases her into my care," he said blithely. "Magic has consequences, sweetheart."

"What happened," she murmured, eyes searching his face. "After I was stabbed?"

His face darkened, eyes flecked with gold. "I moved the stars."

"What does that mean?"

He released her, face closing off. "Unfortunately, it appears I was in fact wrong about you."

"Are we talking in circles? What are you talking about?" Caroline rubbed her face, ignoring the lingering heat of his hand. "You're still not making sense!"

"You are a dreamer," Klaus said softly, voice low and rough. When she looked at him, his pupils were wide and his gaze wanting. "Oh, how you dream, Caroline Forbes."

It was hard to think under that look.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed, the whites of his canines sharp. "No? You tucked it away between organizational charts and perfect coordination, but you never buried it. And I'd have overlooked it, let it stay hidden, golden in its hiding place. Thankfully, the Labyrinth remains older and wiser than I."

"Tucked what away?"

He smiled, a predatory, feral thing that spoke of hunting and left her skin prickling. "Your heart."

She narrowed her gaze. "My heart is none of your business, buddy."

That smile lingered. "I'm here to offer you a choice."

Her pulse picked up, as his head tilted. Licking dry lips, she leaned against her counter. "A choice?"

"There are… rules, to running the Labyrinth. Occasionally, they are bent." Klaus stuck his hands into his pockets, but regardless of his very human clothing, he looked anything but in that moment. "You're such a case."

"Because I was hurt?"

"Because you see magic," Klaus said calmly. "And magic sees you."

She stared at him. "What is your offer?"

He offered her his palm, smile a temptation. "Come back with me"

"And what?" She breathed. "Stay there? Give up everything here? What would I even do there?"

Something curious flickered behind his gaze, that hunting edge hiding some emotion she couldn't read. "You'll find there are others, whose dreams are too strong for this realm. And you could do whatever you wanted. But magic lingers in your bones now, Caroline Forbes. It crawls in your veins. I think you'd find a home in the Labyrinth, if you'd let it."

"Uh huh," she sat her hands on her hips. "And Katerina? Whoever it was that hired her to kill your tribute? Don't look so surprised, it's not like I've done much but relive everything for the last week. What about them?"

"You're going to be difficult, aren't you?"

She grinned at him, and his lashes moved, as if as if he was startled by it. "Yup."

His wrist turned, the crystal ball spinning across his knuckles. His gaze held hard as he tossed it. She jumped as the world changed, brilliant golden sky and endless maze opening up before her. Klaus stepped against her spine and her eyes widened as his lips ghosted across her ear.

"Welcome to the Labyrinth, Caroline."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	27. Chapter 27

_It would be awesome if cupcakemolotov would write something about KC being mates based off of Katherine's quote about loving the poetry of using Caroline as the sacrifice. My personal headcanon is that Katherine's traveler family cursed him during the massacre to have a mate/great love, Katherine found out and killed Caroline as a result thinking he would kill her during the sacrifice and making her statement make sense._

I hope this does your idea justice. This may end up with a second part when I have a little more time on my hands! There is no smut, but there are mentions of violence.

* * *

 _I like the poetry of Carolin_ e - Katherine Pierce

Caroline felt like she was floating. For the first time since she woke thirsty, the scent of blood hot in her nose, her limbs felt heavy. There were muted voices she couldn't quite make out and an alarm was buried under an urge to sleep. Fuzzily, she let her mind drift and slowly worked through the last thing she remembered.

"We're going to die."

Caroline glanced over at Tyler, his bitter expression. His jaw was set, lips compressed and she shifted her weight, wincing at the rattling of chains. "I know."

His head snapped into her direction and she had to look away from the disbelief in his face. "That's it Care? Just, you know?"

She shrugged, glancing around the cellar they'd been stuffed and shackled into. She still didn't know what had hit her, just that her head still ached. But the chains weren't budging, and she couldn't reach Tyler.

"What do you want me to say, Tyler? Don't worry, someone will notice we're missing? Who's going to be looking?"

Not her mom. Liz wouldn't even notice that Caroline missing until tomorrow, maybe the day after. Bile threatened to rise, at the devastation her mom would feel finding her body. She yanked the chains in frustration.

"Don't be like that," Tyler said. "We knew when you'd been abducted last time."

Caroline looked at him with wrinkled brows. "Which time was that? When I was tortured by your pack? Because that worked out great,"

He flinched and Caroline closed her eyes, blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing," He said quietly. "I never did, did I? We're going to die, and I've never apologized for that night."

"I forgave you."

"Maybe you shouldn't have."

"Hey, I get to decide when I forgive and when I don't, Tyler," she glared at him until he looked at her. "And I choose to forgive you."

He nodded, leaned against the wall. "So why do you think we're here?"

"You mean other than our early demise? I don't know," she let her head think against the wall. "Nothing fun."

She'd seen the rituals in Bonnie's grimores and they'd given her chills. Whatever was in their future, it was going to hurt. She wished she'd been brave enough to talk to her mom, so that Liz knew this wasn't her fault. Her daughter had died weeks ago and the monster left behind still loved her so much, but she was so afraid.

He nodded, strained on the chains. "Dammit."

"If Damon and Stefan are smart, they'll have grabbed Elena and run," Caroline murmured.

"Ah, but see, sweetheart, running from me isn't wise at all. I assure you, dear Katerina would have been very educational on that matter."

Her eyes shot up as a vampire stepped into their line of sight. He wasn't overly tall, probably a little shy of six feet. His was wearing a curling smile that showed off dimples, and his curls would have given him a near boyish charm, if not for the expression behind his eyes. It cut through her to her bones, and alarm rolled down her spine in goosebumps.

"Who are you?" Tyler's voice was strained, rough with frustration.

The vampire's eyes never left her face and Caroline lifted her chin. They were going to die, and she wasn't going to cower. She wondered if he worked for Klaus. Hands clasped behind his back, the vampire finally shifted his gaze. "Ah, my little sacrificial werewolf, I'm Klaus."

Caroline barely kept from flinching, while Tyler rattled his chain in his surprise. Klaus studied him for a moment, before turning his attention back to her. "No words, sweetheart?"

She didn't like his tone, the way he seemed to assume that he knew her. If she had to die, she wasn't going to cower. She'd died once before and she didn't remember waking with bone deep chills, so this time couldn't be terrible either. "Why? So you can laugh before you kill us?"

"Now that would be a bit ungentlemanly of me, don't you think?"

She deliberately rattled her chain. "Yeah, well your accommodations suck."

A quick grin and he angled his head. "Apologies, love, but you understand. I've got a bit of an agenda and it has a very specific timetable. It'll be over soon enough."

"No," Caroline said with clipped tones. "I don't understand."

"Care," Tyler hissed.

"Ah, come now, Tyler - it is Tyler? - Caroline deserves to know why death is going to be collecting several of your friends over the next few hours." Klaus prowled closer and casually reached out to tug on a curl, expression unreadable. "You can blame Katerina, although I hear she's going by Katherine these days."

Caroline flinched away from the surprisingly gentle hold on her hair, the mention of the vampire who killed her leaving her teeth grinding. Klaus arched both brows, expression thoughtful. "So she is your sire."

She kept her mouth shut, unwilling to elaborate on any of those details, but Tyler made a noise. Wrapping that curl around his forefinger, Klaus tugged lightly. "Little vampire, I'm not particularly fond of being given inaccurate information. Enlighten me."

"I'm not particularly fond of being sacrificed for megalomaniacs set on killing my friends," Caroline said, words tripping off her tongue before she could catch them.

"Brave, but not particularly smart," Klaus drawled. "It's as easy to compel the information out of you as it is for you to give it to me, Caroline."

Her insides ran cold.

"Vampires cannot be compelled." Tyler said, yanking on his chains. "She hasn't done anything."

"Collateral damage rarely does more than be too close to the crossfire," Klaus shrugged. "And I can compel anyone I wish. A bit of a perk, being an Original. Shall I show you?"

Panic tightened her lungs. Her hands twisted into the chains as she pressed firmly into the wall. She didn't like the way Klaus looked at her, fingers unwinding carefully from her hair to touch her chin as she tried to avoid his eyes.

"You've been compelled before," Klaus mused. "Who?"

She watched him from her peripheral vision warily, not trusting the laid back posture or the near gentle tone to his voice. He reminded her of a puppeteer, pulling his marionette strings. She'd no doubt that he was tugging them with her, hunting for a crack in her armor.

"It doesn't matter, as you're going to kill me anyway," Caroline rasped. She swallowed, firmed her voice. "If you're going to compel me, then do it and leave."

Instead of pulling her chin around, he stepped away and walked the room. "There are only three vampires in Mystic Falls other than yourself, love. The Salvatores and Katerina Petrova."

Caroline shot a confused glance at Tyler, whose brows were bunched together. He shook his head and she swallowed. "Why do you care?"

Klaus clasped his hands, smiled. "Ah, I'm afraid that explanation will take a few moments and we've some additional company. Hello, Damon. Please, join us. Or you can run, I'll feed you your liver."

There was a turbulent silence, and then sounds of Damon's heavy tread moving down the stairs was easily heard. Klaus glanced over to Caroline and winked. "You'll notice love, the lack of resistance to my suggestion?"

"And he's keeping his liver," she retorted. "Is that next on your list for us? Torture?"

"You're pretty, sweetheart, but that tongue of yours is a bit sharp." He clicked his tongue as Damon warily stepped around him. "Do watch it, as it might not grow back in the time you have before our upcoming ceremony. Damon! I wondered when you'd be joining us."

Damon shrugged. "I was under the impression you were elsewhere."

"Oh? And who gave you such information? Not dear Katerina?" Klaus clearly didn't expect an answer, lifting a hand to motion to Caroline and Tyler. "How exactly did you plan on rescuing them? Who did you hope to save? Both?"

Damon didn't look at either of them. "Of course."

"Of course," Klaus parroted, smile a blade. "Have I told you how I dislike liars, Damon?"

Weight shifting, Damon arched a brow. "Why do you care?"

"I confess to a certain amount of curiosity. You see, Katerina has been known to make a fair number of vampires if she needs a distraction. You and Stefan were a little out of the ordinary, but hardly unique. She and my oldest brother are playing an interesting game while she runs from me; you and Stefan were just two more pieces for that particular chess match."

"How does that concern me?"

"Oh, generally it wouldn't and Elijah would deal with you. A bit possessive, my oldest brother." His gaze flickered back to Caroline. "But Caroline, on the other hand, I'm most curious about."

"Blondie?" Damon scoffed. "She's a bit easy for your taste."

Klaus casually reached over and snapped his arm. Caroline jerked against the chains, her heart pounding in her ears as Tyler snarled. Klaus never took his eyes from her, even as Damon swore.

"I'm not fond of rudeness," Klaus said mildly. "And your opinion is unwanted. Here you are, Damon, attempting to play the white knight. Given your crudely worded disdain for Caroline, I'm most curious as to what you're basing your opinion on?"

Damon remained silent.

Klaus made an amused noise. "Here are the facts, as I know them. Katherine killed Caroline, but as I've recently been made aware, Katherine is not her sire. What do you know about that, Damon? Shall I break your other arm? Remove a few organs?"

"Stop it," Caroline blurted into the silence. "Just stop. Why does it matter?"

A smile that left her bones cold crossed his face as he prowled back in her direction. She flinched as he touched her chin, feathering his fingertips along her jawline. "Katerina betrayed me and lived when she should have died. I confess, I lost my temper. Most of her family died. Collateral damage and all, sweetheart. To my irritation, I discovered that she'd kept more than one secret from me during that time. Her family belongs to a very specific cult, that a brother of mine very insistently wished to destroy. And they took the massacre badly."

"That doesn't have anything to do with me."

"That is not entirely true, Caroline Forbes," Klaus said simply. "They were quite clever, the travelers. Very clever. Would you like to know what they cursed me with?"

"Please tell me it was painful," Damon ground out.

"I suppose it depends," Klaus murmured. "They cursed me with soulmate."

"What does that even mean?" Tyler broke in. "That doesn't sound like a curse."

"Love is a vampire's greatest weakness," Klaus said with that mild tone. "And Katerina killed you, Caroline. Wanted you to be pretty bait, why?"

She gaped at him, at all the things he'd said and all of the implications. "I'm not your soulmate. That's impossible."

"No?" Klaus smiled, veins crawling into his eyes, turning them black. "Let's test it."

She screamed when he bit into her throat, teeth sinking deep. She scrambled for leverage, panic and terror turning her vision fuzzy. She heard Tyler screaming obscenities, and Klaus did not linger. Lifting a mouth stained with blood, he brought his wrist to his teeth and ripped open his skin, shoving it against her lips. She struggled, and he caught her hip with fingers that ground her bones.

"Now, now love, just taste."

The world swam, his blood hot on her tongue and just as her fangs pricked his skin he pulled away. Her body buzzed, emotions tangled in a riotous mess as the horror of being chained and bitten faded under a strange contentment that grew as he stroked her cheek.

"Look at you," he murmured. "Such pretty golden curls and black eyes."

Her senses came back online in a rush of adrenaline and she kicked him hard. He staggered back, eyes flaring with fury before he laughed. "I'd apologize, but I think we both know my point is proven."

"Go to hell."

"Tell me Damon, why are you really here?" Klaus said, turning to face the vampire watching them with calculating eyes. Damon opened his mouth, but Klaus suddenly blurred and wrenched his neck. "On second thought, we'll chat later."

Caroline pressed against the wall, forced her vampire down even as she licked her lips clean. Klaus clasped his hands, studied both her and a white faced Tyler.

"Now, what to do with the two of you? My apparent soulmate and the werewolf."

This time Caroline held her tongue and he smiled with blood still flecked on his lips.

"I dreamed of killing my soulmate, of wrenching that pretty head right off your shoulders," Klaus mused as he prowled forward, tangling his fingers into her hair. She glared at him, refusing to soften to the almost soothing motions of his hands. Terror was soaking into her bones, hand tight in the chains but she would not cower.

"A weakness is something I've never once allowed myself. And as pretty are you are, as delicious on my tongue, you've the potential to be a terrible weakness, Caroline."

"Then kill me," she told him, voice steady. "I'm not a pawn. For you or Katherine or anything else."

Klaus' lips curved slightly. "Still so brave. Death may yet await you, Caroline Forbes. But there is yet one question that I require an answer too."

She swallowed. "What?"

"In a few hours, I'll be a true hybrid. Both werewolf and vampire," he considered her, a blade and a pit behind his eyes. "I know what the vampire wants with you, all the ways to dig you out from under my skin so that I can walk free of you. But the wolf? Why turn you, so that I'd have such a handy little sacrifice? What did Katerina hope to gain?"

Caroline shook her head as best she could. "I was a message for Damon and Stefan, not you."

"Perhaps,"Klaus said softly. "But don't worry, sweetheart. I admire your bravery and your honesty. Regardless of what happens, if your death is just around the corner, you won't suffer."

And his hands moved, the world turning black as he snapped her neck.

* * *

Caroline opened her eyes slowly, uncertain when she found herself tucked into a bed. Sitting up straight, her gaze moved frantically around the room and for a moment, she didn't comprehend what she was looking at. There was a low level thrumming she'd never heard before and her eyes landed in the small, oval windows and her lungs seized.

Eyes darting towards the doorway, she slowly slide out if the covers and gave herself one moment to peer out the window; fingers touching the glass as she stared at the endless sheet of water below. She was on a plane. Teeth catching her bottom lip, for a moment she let herself be fascinated by the experience.

"Hello, Caroline."

Her head and body twisted, and she stared at Klaus with wild eyes. His expression was something she couldn't read, but the arrogance was muted by something that left her heart pounding. She licked dry lips, tried not to shiver as his eyes followed the motion.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Klaus leaned against the doorframe, arched one brow. "No, sweetheart, I'm not. I'd even go as far to say you're likely the safest individual on this planet. Come, there is blood, which you need, and we have much to discuss."

She didn't believe him. She didn't know why she was here, why she was alive. She didn't even know where here was but she knew she didn't trust him. Shivering, she gave the odd little bedroom one last wistful glance.

She was on her first flight. To bad she was on it with a murdering megalomaniac who all but promised that when he killed her she wouldn't suffer. She heard the sound of dishes being moved around, smelled the rich scent of fresh blood and fought with her monster. Pressing a hand to her chest, Caroline swallowed her fear and made herself a promise.

No matter what happened, she'd survive as Caroline or nothing at all.

Her bare feet were nearly silent as she walked carefully into the main cabin. Klaus looked up anyway, studied her with that pit behind his gaze.

"Why am I here?" She demanded, arms crossing as he continued to watch her. "I'm pretty sure you were set on murdering me."

"Sit," he suggested, head tilting. "The blood is still warm, Caroline."

She froze, eyes darting to the glass before returning to his face. "What?"

His lips curved. "It was donated by the stewardess and she's moving around in the back. Of course, if you'd prefer, my neck is an option."

Caroline sat. She debated for a moment, ignored the burn in her throat and considered defying him; she decided to eat, she needed her strength. Her eyes shut as she absorbed the high, felt the veins crawl along her face before she exhaled slowly, pushing the need for more down. When she opened her eyes, Caroline froze at the gold in Klaus' eyes.

"So pretty, Caroline," Klaus murmured, eyes glittering. "Your control is surprising."

"I don't like being tested," she replied, leaning away from him. "You haven't answered my question."

"We'll get to that," Klaus said with a shrug. "Tell me about your feeding habits. Baby vampire as young as you rarely handle their bloodlust."

"No."

"No?"

She shook her head, mutely. Dug her nails into her palms as he watched her with eyes crawling with gold and black. The side of his mouth curved, and he made an amused sound. "I went to kill you, to shove my hand inside your chest and pull out your frantic heart."

She lifted her chin, ignored the way her insides shook. "Why didn't you?"

"There I stood, fresh from having my curse broken for the first time in a thousand years, and I felt complete," his expression shifted, something near feral on his face. "Until I looked at you."

She flinched at the blade in his words.

"Curious, isn't it?" Klaus said. "When the travelers swore vengeance, that they'd destroy me, I laughed at them. Their blood between my teeth, hands stained by their bleeding hearts, and they thought they'd harm me? I'm immortal, unkillable and what could one cult of witches do to me?"

Caroline shivered, shaking her head. "No, I don't think it's curious. I don't want this."

"We both can agree to that, love. Unfortunately, neither of us will have that particular wish granted. My wolf has very insistently claimed you, and is proving to be far more stubborn than I could've anticipated. Congratulations, sweetheart - you'll be living a very long life."

She stood and walked to a window, ignored the line he burned down her spine with his gaze. "And what, I'm just supposed to accept this? Smile and say thank you for abducting me? This isn't okay. None of this okay!"

"Caroline…"

She spun, glared at him. "No! I didn't ask for this. I didn't asked to be changed, to end up as your soulmate! What does that even mean? That you can't kill me? Fine. Great. I want to go home."

He stood, eyes filled with iron. "I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that, Caroline."

"I don't care!" She snapped, refusing to acknowledge the burning behind her eyes. "I don't care!"

"But I do."

She stepped back as he prowled forward, until her spine was flat against at a wall. He bracketed her with his arms, smile sharp. "Did the spell the travelers used create a false bond between us, did they simply take a possibility and sharpen its focus? Was this triggered because I was so close to breaking my mother's spell? Are you just an unfortunate girl, forced into this horror? In the end, it doesn't matter. Their magic carved a place for you in my chest and you filled it. So Caroline, I find myself in a position that I've avoided for a millenia. Someone other than my family matters - I put them into boxes, hid their corpses until I know they're safe. But the two days that you slept were too long without speaking with you. I craved you, and isn't that unfortunate for us both?"

She felt blood drain from her face, felt the cabin spin as he gripped her arms. "Two days? Two days? What did you do to my mom?"

"The Sheriff is fine, Caroline and the majority of the supernatural events should settle now that we've left and the doppelganger is tucked safely away."

Her gaze focused back on his face. "What?"

"You cannot think your presence wouldn't have eventually attracted attention?"

She gripped his shirt in her fists, pushed into his face. Her teeth were gritted when she spoke. "No one hurts my mom."

His hands left her arms, to cup her jaw. She startled at the hold, but he merely watched her. "They won't. The threats will follow us, Caroline. They've no reason to involve your mother, not yet; and by the time they realize her importance, they will have been eliminated."

Caroline took a steadying breath. His thumbs brushed along her cheekbones and she hissed. "I don't want you."

"Yet," he murmured, moving a hand to trace her lips. "You don't want me yet."

She pushed at his chest, stepped around him when he let her go with reluctant hands. His touch burned along her skin, left trails of fire. "You killed my friends, abducted me because of hinky magic and probably compelled my mom. What am I supposed to like? But you think I'll want you?"

He laughed softly, stepped around her to sit back down. Motioned for her to join him. When she sat, his eyes were amused, the heat almost a touch along her skin. "I don't think you're ready for all of that I offer, but there are a few things we need to discuss."

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" Caroline asked flatly.

"You don't trust me."

"Not at all."

"Yet, you push back, you snap at me with your words and eyes," Klaus drawled. "I will make you three promises, Caroline."

"How do I know you'll keep them?"

"My word can be fluid, when necessary, I will not apologize for that. But I think you'll find that the magic of this curse will hold me to what I promise you."

Caroline crossed her arms. "Why?"

He arched a brow. "Why am I making promises I intend to keep or why will the magic hold me to them?"

"Either. Both."

"Soulmate magic is rare," Klaus said. "I'm sure we'll find several quirks which are potentially an issue. But one day, I'll have your trust."

"Uh huh," she glared at him. "Fat chance."

He shrugged. "I will not compel you."

She froze, at the darkness in his sudden smile, the way he looked at her. Wondered how he knew of her nightmares, the fear that needled at her since she woke.

"Damon was an unfortunate casualty of the ritual," Klaus said with deliberate casualness. "It was better than he deserved, but still fitting. Their deaths were painful."

She dug her hands into her arms. "Why?

"We had a discussion and I didn't like the details,"Klaus tilted his head. "I find that I do not enjoy terror on your skin. Compulsion is not something you have to fear from me."

"And the other two?" Her voice was a rasp, eyes confused.

"I will not cage you; regardless of how I might wish to. That one I will certainly regret. The last is that I will give you the time you need to accept this."

Caroline frowned. "What does that even mean? Accept what? Stockholm Syndrome?"

His gaze bled gold, black veins crawling under his eyes. "I want to strip you of your defenses, lay you naked in my bed, and soothe the terror and anger with pleasure. My wolf wants to press against your skin, until your warm and content, soft with submission."

She nearly choked on air. Catching herself, she shook her head. "No."

"Hmmm."

They stared at each other, the air too warm between them. "And what do you expect in return?"

"Your loyalty."

She blinked and his mouth curved.

"Everything else will come as it will, but your loyalty? That is a choice, love. And I want yours."

"You can't demand…"

"I can," he returned ruthlessly. "You're the key to destroying me on a level I have not fully grasped. Your loyalty is not so much to ask in return, Caroline."

"If I give it to you, there are no take backs. I don't work like that," she tossed out her hands. "You haven't earned it."

"I know."

There was no give in his eyes and her stomach trembled. Swallowing, she tried to understand what he was asking. A thousand years, and he'd been given a weakness he despised. The set of his shoulders, the glitter behind his eyes told her that. But he was giving her space, the weight of the three promises nearly palpable.

"I prefer blood bags," she said finally, mouth bone dry. "I hate using compulsion."

Something shifted behind his eyes, something molten, but then it was buried. "Blood bags aren't very practical, Caroline. Particularly in places with few donors."

She compressed her lips, looked away.

"What may not have been explained to you," Klaus continued. "Is that young vampires need the strength feeding from the vein provides. You'll be hungry less often and if done correctly, you can feed without the human being aware or in pain."

"I don't want to kill people."

"Then don't."

"It's not that easy."

He shrugged. "It's less difficult than you've been led to believe."

She took a careful breath. "What did you mean when you said that we'd be in places that might not have donors?"

"Well, that depends on you."

She looked at him, brows tucked together in confusion. "What?"

"My father is still alive, although his time is now borrowed. He's had centuries to hunt me, to learn my methods. We've a few weeks before the last of my plan will fall into place."

"What plans?"

"Hybrids, sweetheart," His eyes glimmered, the puppet master well satisfied with his minions dance. "Once we finish unraveling the mystery of making hybrids, well…"

"Tyler?" Her voice wavered and he narrowed his gaze.

"He lives, for now." Klaus watched her, possession and something else stark on his face. "But until we've the bait for the trap, we need to keep a certain amount of distance between us and Mikael."

Wary, she ran her tongue across her lips. "How?"

His smile was slow and dimpled as he leaned back, hand encompassing the entirety of the plane. "Tell me sweetheart, where to?"

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	28. Chapter 28

**You're Rust in My Veins**

For anastasiadreams, who donated to Klaroline Gives Back. She requested KC + Happy Ending + No Fluff. I hope this works?

* * *

When Elena died, they found Damon cut into pieces; only his face was recognizable. Her childhood friend had passed peacefully, no lingering horrors to mar the softened beauty of her face. Old and faded, Elena had simply gone to sleep and never woken.

Her body had gone missing.

It'd been a decade since she'd set foot in the states, longer still since she'd seen Elena. She remembered the last meeting clearly, the confusion in those dark brown eyes.

"Have I met you before?" Elena tucked her brows together, the worry wrinkle between her eyes prominent now. "You seem familiar."

Caroline hadn't expected to see her. Hadn't attempted to look in on her in years. Whatever friendship they'd shared, it had all but evaporated that day in the Salvatore's basement. The wistfulness was only that. An old, phantom ache for a friendship she remembered fondly. So she simply smiled and shrugged. "I look like my mom. She grew up here."

"That must be it," Elena agreed, waving off her frown with a quick little smile. "Take care, then."

How old had Elena been that day? Forty?

"Caroline, we had to scrape him off the floor," Stefan's voice cut through the past and she sighed into the phone. "It almost wasn't worth burying what was left of him. My _brother_."

The cold edge to his voice worried Caroline far more than Damon's brutal death. Damon had tempted fate far too often, had deliberately attempted to break the spell that kept them all alive on borrowed time. Stefan was walking a precarious ledge, but she'd left behind being a sober sponsor years before, when she'd struck her deal with the devil.

"There was a note."

Caroline stared at the slowly crashing waves from her balcony. "What did it say?"

"' _Even so, I rather think they understand one thing—fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death_.' You know what this means?"

"Klaus always found Richard Connell amusing," she said instead of directly answering his question.

"He'll come for you," Stefan warned, voice harsh. "He'll come for all of us."

"Yes," she agreed. "Be careful, Stefan."

She swiped her phone closed and stood quietly for several moments, absorbing the feel of her balcony and the sweetness of the blooming flowers. Then she headed inside to pack.

* * *

When Caroline was seventeen years old she died and was gifted a monster's heart. It pulsed in her chest, a slow mimicry of a human's and it was _greedy_. From that first taste of the nurse who'd tried only to save her, the monster that lived beneath her skin itched to explore and swallow the world in slow bites.

What she'd never admit was how much Klaus tempted that burning in her chest. What he was, what he offered her with charming smiles and wicked dimples, it _called_ to her. Her darkness she'd first tried to control and later fought to ignore; neither of those choices were serving her well.

And now she was going to die.

"Come on blondie, it's not that bad," Damon drawled from across the room. They were all hanging by their wrists, had been so for days. Everything ached and burned, her control only lingering because Klaus enjoyed breaking them slowly.

She'd never hated someone the way she hated Damon. So she remained silent, the way she'd held her tongue with each encounter as Klaus tortured her friends. He hadn't touched her yet, but the rage in his gaze told her it was just a matter of time.

"We wouldn't be here if you hadn't gone behind our backs to make a deal with Esther," Bonnie said suddenly, her lean face and raspy voice showing the wear of days listening to screams. God, how much longer could she go without water? Her human body was eating itself.

Damon laughed at her. "Do you think Klaus would have followed through on his promise?"

"So you trusted Esther instead," Bonnie rasped. "You're an idiot."

Stefan said nothing. He'd been mute since the second time Klaus had removed his tongue. Elena was tucked into the cell next to them and silent, she just stared vacantly at the floor.

"It doesn't matter," Damon said with a shrug.

"Ah," Klaus said as he stepped into the room, lip curled upwards in one corner. "But I'm most interested."

Caroline didn't bother to look at him; hadn't tried to say anything since Klaus offered to extend her mother an invitation if he heard her voice again. Instead, she kept her eyes on Bonnie.

Bonnie stared at Klaus with her sunken eyes and bared her teeth in a proxy of a smile. "Go to hell."

Klaus looked around. "I'm disappointed. Here I'd hoped I'd created a corner of hell for your enjoyment."

"You'll regret it."

Caroline shook her head at her friend, but Bonnie didn't look at her.

"I regret very little, witch," Klaus warned in a soft voice as he approached her. "Especially when I've been so generous and then betrayed. Have you seen the hunger in your friend's eyes? Would you like to still be alive when pretty little Caroline starts feasting on your internal organs?"

Caroline shuddered, swallowing the bile at the image he created and the way her monster lunged at the idea of food. Klaus' eyes were hard, when he glanced at her.

"She's so hungry. You can tell by the way she's holding herself, how's she fighting so hard to hold on. But all it would take is a single drop of blood and she'll rip you apart."

Bonnie laughed at him. "You'll never touch her. I won't let you."

"And how do you plan on accomplishing that?"

There was a shift in the air, a trembling of pressure and it was suddenly impossible to move.

"When your mother thought she was tempting me, she shared a few interesting things about doppelgängers and spells," Bonnie said lowly. "And I can't unmake you, but I can bind you, Klaus Mikaelson. And you'll never touch Caroline or Elena again."

"And Esther," Klaus said dangerously as he clearly fought her hold, eyes blazing. "Did she tell you the cost?"

Bonnie glanced at her. "Keep them safe."

"No," Caroline snapped, frantic. "Don't do it. _Bonnie_!"

And Bonnie's eyes went white, power screaming through the air and then everything went dark.

* * *

Caroline wondered sometimes if Bonnie had known the cost of her spell.

She hadn't just blocked Klaus from physically ever touching her, Caroline couldn't touch anyone who was linked to the supernatural. Elena had opened her eyes and had no recollection of vampires or witches, had stared blankly at Stefan as if she was looking through him.

Klaus had said nothing, as Caroline sobbed over Bonnie's body, the spell having shattered her shackles. His face was utterly blank, but his eyes. They'd _raged_.

That rage became so much worse, when Klaus realized the protections extended in part to the Salvatores.

"Well, sweetheart," Klaus drawled as he crouched inches from her skin. The blade in his eyes and smile rattled her. "It seems that your life has gained a temporary reprieve. Enjoy it. I think you'll find the end will be quite brutal."

The worst part of the spell was the itching under her skin if she and Elena were too close together. Whatever they carried on their skin, they rejected each other; like magnets that were forced together. And so Caroline had left Mystic Falls, lost and utterly alone.

She'd wandered, ghosts chasing her footsteps and somehow found herself in Singapore.

And fell in love.

The colors, the ocean, the variety of people and languages. The food. She was an outsider in a culture that embraced differences. She stumbled through learning Mandarin and the strange mix of Chinese and Malay the older locals used.

It wasn't until she hit her thirtieth birthday that Caroline realized a decade has passed and the familiar itching crawled beneath her skin.

"Wanderlust."

Caroline froze, every muscle in her body locking up as that familiar, clipped voice cut through her musing. She was looking at up at the Raffles Hotel, and debating the idea of finding dinner when he interrupted. She turned, found Klaus watching her with an expression she couldn't read behind his eyes.

"What?"

He smiled, teeth white in the sunset. "What you're feeling. Wanderlust. A bit of a built in timer, when you've stayed too long in one place. You'll get a feel for it, if you live long enough."

She gave him a cool glance. "Threats already?"

"Let me buy you a drink."

She stared at him for a moment, and then snorted, turning on her heel. "Go to hell."

He fell into step with her, hands folded behind his back. "Really, sweetheart? Such impertinence."

"Add it to my tab," Caroline said coolly. "You can extend the torture session you've planned. Until then, fuck off."

He stepped in front of her, body pushing against the invisible barrier that blocked her from him. She crossed her arms, staring at him with open hostility.

"Perhaps that's what I wanted to speak to you about."

"My death? Excuse me, if I'm not interested in that particular topic."

He grinned, dimples deep and damn him, her monster still liked that look. Damn herself, too.

"I've recently had the most interesting conversation with Esther."

Caroline froze. She shifted her weight warily, watched that pit open behind his eyes. "Your mother is dead."

The monster's smile that widened his lips made her heart pound. "Mikael is dead. But dear old mother, she proved how much she can work against me from the other side. Why would I give her the chance to reunite with Mikael? She'll spend eternity in a box - the same box that kept Finn nicely contained. Well, at least until I find a way to destroy the veil and everything behind it."

"That's impossible."

"For now, perhaps." Klaus tilted his head. "But you'll learn, Caroline, that things change."

"Here I thought I was on a timer."

He reached up, pressed his fingers along the barrier next to her cheek. "Did you betray me, Caroline?"

She held his gaze, let her monster crawl into her eyes. "The answer to that question no longer matters."

* * *

A decade later, she was in Russia when the first gift arrived.

She'd returned to hotel still buzzed from a ballet, unwilling to secure a home when she still missed the sound of waves in her dreams. There was a box on the little table in her sitting area. Warily, she glanced around before opening the velvet lid.

Inside was a pair of ruby earrings.

They were old, precious things that glittered in the dull light. Her heart stopped, lungs tightening as she remembered a diamond bracelet.

She left them behind, when she headed for the train station.

* * *

In Venice, he left her a hand painted fan.

In Rome, a curious set of dueling pistols still flecked with old blood.

Portugal came with a recording of Damon's screams.

He didn't approach her again until Cusco, Peru.

* * *

"You're stalking me," Caroline said coolly as she adjust the softness of her new scarf, the narrow cobblestone bouncing her words down at him. He smiled his hunting smile, paced towards her with little concern for the incline. Thirty years had done nothing to lessen his potency or her temper.

"You don't like my gifts?"

"Should I?" She asked irritably. "I've decided that interacting with my murderer would be counter productive."

"What if I've decided not to kill you?"

She laughed at him, turned to go back to her hotel. "Why lie now, when you've been so honest before? How did you describe the sounds of a femur breaking? Like the crack of a foundation stone? How you can almost hear it mend, with _such_ agonizing slowness if you're denied blood?"

"I will not apologize."

Caroline stopped, faced him with brows pinched together. "Apologize? I'd expect the sun to burn out first."

His lips quirked, but his eyes were serious. "Elijah is in a box."

"Elijah?" She pushed hair out of her face. "Why?"

The expression on his face shook her, left the monster crawling into her gaze. The open, devouring possession and the grinding rage left her unable to draw air into her lungs.

"I do not tolerate lies."

She swallowed and shook her head. "A little late, for that."

His hand slid into his pockets, as he gaze trailed over her skin. "I'll be seeing you, sweetheart."

Klaus bought her dinner in Cambodia.

He ate the man who tried to teach her to tango in the streets of Brazil.

Sent sunflowers to her mother's funeral.

Then Damon happened.

* * *

Caroline woke on fire.

Crying out, she pushed to her knees, shuddering through bone deep pain she hadn't felt since she'd hung by her wrists in the basement of a boarding house. Moaning low, she heaved for air as she vaguely heard someone shush her, the hot scent of blood a distraction as her fangs slid free. There was blood suddenly on her tongue and Caroline bit deep.

Slowly, the pain eased and she released the wrist between her teeth with a gulping breath, shuddering as everything stopped churning. Hot lips brushed her forehead, and Caroline realized she was being cradled against a chest.

"Better, sweetheart?"

Her head snapped around and she blinked stupidly at Klaus. _Klaus_ , who was holding her; whose blood sat on her tongue like ambrosia. She stared at him as the pad of his thumb brushed across her lips and watched as he licked it clean.

"Is Elena dead?"

The curling smile as his hands touched her should have shaken her, but her head was spinning and the endorphins from his blood were making it hard to concentrate. It had been so long since she'd been touched, she nearly vibrated with it.

"No," Klaus said. "I've been told you still anchor part of the spell."

She tried to understand his words, but her monster was out and it wanted skin. Taking a deep, centering breath she tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let her.

"Let me _go_."

"Why?"

She lifted her chin and glared at him. "Just because you're the first person to touch me since my mom died doesn't mean this is okay. _Let go_."

His hands released her.

She scrambled off the bed. "What do you mean, I still anchor the spell?"

"Someone tried to break the Bennett witch's' protections, mostly succeeded," Klaus drawled as he leaned against at the head board. "It wasn't me."

She was surprised to find she believed him.

"Why?"

"I plan to find out," He returned with a shrug. "They shattered your daylight ring and you'd have burned to death if I hadn't seen you go down."

The lethal edge to his words shocked her, and she remained silent as he stood. Strolling in her direction, he cupped her jaw and smiled, dimples bracketing his hunting smile. "So here we are."

She wanted to lean into his hands and hated it. "Why save me?"

His thumb stroked her cheekbone and he stepped away. It made no sense. If she died, he'd have access to Elena and her blood. Instead, he reached for his jacket, and left her cheeks burning from his touch.

"Don't ignore this present out of spite, love."

The little box held a daylight ring.

This one perfectly suited to her tastes.

* * *

She turned sixty in Mexico City, underneath Klaus. Hands grinding the headboard to ash, legs wrapped tightly around his hips, Caroline let him fuck her mindless. She lost count, the number of times she orgasmed - on his fingers, against his tongue, clenched around his cock.

Caroline gave herself one night of recklessness. Let the monster under her skin have the reins as she tried to satisfy a hunger that had built over decades. They ruined the sheets and the bed, cracked the gorgeous marble tub with the violence of their play.

She came until she was sore, voice hoarse from her cries and her body boneless.

In the morning, Caroline woke alone.

* * *

After Stefan called, she flew to Germany. She'd spent the last five years in Singapore, relearning her favorite place in the world. Tasting it on her tongue and letting it become ingrained on her skin.

Her Mandarin was still terrible.

"Why this painting?" Caroline knew she'd surprised him when she heard his footsteps falter. She stared up at his artwork, waited for him to stand beside her before she turned to look at him.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

She arched a brow. "Why did this one end up here? In the Hermitage?"

His smile was slow. "I'll tell you some other time."

Caroline licked her lips, lifted her chin. "Are you going to kill me?"

He reached for a curl, twisted it around his fingers as he watched her from beneath his lashes. "Still think that lowly of me, love?"

"You did torture me."

"A regret I live with," he murmured and her heart started to pound. "Walk with me."

She followed him through the long corridors, silent. When he finally spoke, his words were edged. "Elijah lied to me, that night. Damon and Stefan allowed the lie to continue. For that, they've all paid a price."

Caroline licked her lips. "Stefan is dead, isn't he?"

"Yes."

She nodded, compressed her lips. Sighed heavily, as her fingers plucked at the hem of her shirt. "When did you find out Bonnie and I had upheld our side of the deal?"

"Bekah can be trusted to hold her tongue until her temper outweighs her good sense," Klaus said mildly. "She's put out that Elijah is rotting, but has no desire to join him."

"When Damon ruined my protections, attempting to return Elena's memories?" Caroline started, voice shaky. "Why didn't you kill me? It would have broken the spell."

"The witch who made your ring informed me the only way you'd make it through the spell ending without further complications was if Elena died naturally. I could wait."

She stared at him, feet rooted to the ground. "I don't understand."

He touched her cheek with careful fingertips. "The horrors I planned for you in that basement were numerous. And every time I reached for your body, every time I went to break some small piece of you and grind it into dust, I couldn't."

Caroline's breath caught, remembering his rage and the vicious way he'd tortured both Salvatores.

"Later, I'd thought about tracking you once or twice, to see what your eyes would tell me, but it wasn't until Rebekah confessed, Elijah spouting redemption nonsense that I realized _why_. In Singapore, you looked at me with so much scorn, I knew Elijah had spoken the truth. There was no guilt, to your anger."

She swallowed. "You left me, in Mexico."

"Elena still lived. You've never trusted that I didn't intend to hunt you as I hunted Katherine. Until now, you've lived with the idea that once the spell broke, I'd ruin what was left of your heart, if you gave me the chance."

"Will you?"

He smiled, a lazy curve of his lips. "Kiss me and find out."

"Last time I did that, I woke up alone."

"There are no beds here," he cajoled. "And I'm a possessive, selfish monster, Caroline. Shall I eat your next dance partner as well?"

She huffed, as her lips pressed against his, as she sank into the kiss she'd craved for more than the decade since she'd last touched him. His mouth was soft, tongue a lingering slide against her own and when he lifted his head, her knees wobbled. He brushed his fingers across her lips.

"Will you stay?"

With him.

After everything, would she choose him?

Lips trembling, Caroline breathed deep. "Yes."

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	29. Chapter 29

Drabble request- Mafia AU/AH. Klaus was born and raised to kill, as part of the most dangerous family in the world. He is given the mission to torture information out of Bill Forbes, who has stolen money from them but Bill's beautiful and intriguing daughter is quite the distraction ;) can play out however you want.

* * *

Caroline knew from the sudden, sharp raps on her door that it was over; two years of running, down the drain. Staring at the dishes she'd been loading into her dishwasher, she dried her hands slowly. Tried to wrestle through the mess of feelings two years hadn't dulled.

Another set of rapid, impatient raps and for a single moment she considered going for the bathroom window. She'd probably make it as far as the ground floor before she'd be picked up - probably one his numerous siblings. Squaring her shoulders, Caroline headed for her front door.

Klaus was waiting for her.

Curls tousled, eyes glittering and his jaw held tight - she gave herself a moment to absorb the impact of him. The dimples, the day old scruff, and the way he smelled. The things he'd imprinted on her skin.

"You're not my pizza."

Spinning on her heel, Caroline headed back to her kitchen, adding soap to her dishwasher while she listened to Klaus shutting and locking her door. The weighty clunk of his gun being set within easy reach. Her fingers trembled a little, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"Chicago, love?"

Kicking the machine shut, Caroline shrugged. "I hoped you'd have a bit more trouble tracking me into unfriendly territory."

"It took me six months to wrangle a visit," Klaus bit out. "Or I'd have been here sooner."

She crossed her arms, refusing to think about that. She'd known he'd find her - her ability to hide was nothing in comparison to Elijah's ability to track, but she'd never have thought he'd want to talk. A bullet to the brain, a kidnapping…

"A bullet doesn't take much effort, Klaus." Caroline said waspishly, her nerves making her voice sharp.

"Of all the things I've considered doing once I found you, Caroline, killing you hasn't been one of them."

Her lips twisted sardonically. "Now why do I find that hard to believe?"

"My family doesn't get a vote," his tone was ruthless, eyes filled with iron. "Do you think I haven't noticed that you might've chosen a rival family's territory, but you were careful to avoid them? The lack of my family's secrets on the market?"

"I didn't want your family's dirty laundry to start with," Caroline snapped, setting her feet. "Do you think I wanted any of this?"

"You wanted me."

"And look where that got me." Caroline ground out. She flung out her arms. "I missed my father's funeral."

"I know," Klaus took a step closer, eased into the kitchen. "That's how I knew you'd run."

"Steven thought going to the Feds would fix it, would protect us." Caroline gave a harsh laugh, her chest raw. "You killed my dad."

"Yes," Klaus said simply. "And if when I find Steven and his daughter, I'll kill them too."

Lips trembling, Caroline lifted her chin. "I know. So tell me, Klaus, how long until you kill me?"

"Why not try to kill me?" Klaus asked instead, arching both brows. "You knew it was me at the door - why not take the vengeance we both know you want?"

"And then what?" Caroline asked, hands fisting. "Whatever of your family is waiting on the streets kills me?"

"I miss you," Klaus said. "I miss your laugh, your skin and that surprised squeak when I startle you. It took two days for your perfume to leave my sheets and I miss it."

"Don't be sentimental," Caroline snapped. "You lied to me; you kill people!"  
"Not you." Klaus said firmly. "What is the point of running my love? I'd find you anyway. Seattle. New Orleans. Los Angeles. Chicago. You ran through those cities, desperate and alone."

"Yeah, well my ex-boyfriend ended up being a mafia hitman with a contract to kill my dad, and he used me to get close." Caroline shoved her hair out of her eyes, gaze hot.

Klaus laughed. "If I'd wanted you for bait, I'd have tossed you inside a van - bound and gagged – and waited for your father to show. That was the plan. But you looked at me, with that radiant smile and for the first time in my life, I hesitated."

"And that's supposed to mean what? I should be thankful that you fell in love with me instead?"

"It means something if you moved fast enough to avoid the protections I had in place as well as the Feds." Klaus said, voice rough. "Your father had the connections, don't tell me he didn't leave you that information. It obviously matters, Caroline if you're here instead of in witness protection."

The world wavered and Caroline looked up, refused to cry. "Stop it."

He was so close, she could feel the heat of him, smelled that lingering mix of aftershave and cologne that reminded her of slow afternoons on his couch. His fingers stroked carefully against her shoulder, fingertips calloused from weapons and paint brushes.

"Your father stole from my family. Tried to sell our secrets. Nothing you or I might have done would have saved him - but my family will not touch you." Klaus said, voice low. "You know this, Caroline."

"Knowing isn't accepting."

But wasn't it grating, to know the weeks leading to his death, Bill had used her as surely as Klaus had. He'd known who Klaus was and attempted to use her for leverage. A chance to live. And Klaus was correct, she'd moved fast, taken everything she could find that Steven might try to use against the Mikaelson family - knowing Elijah's sweepers were close - and ran.

Learned exactly how much her father had hidden from her when she'd moved back in with him at seventeen. How deeply he and Steven were involved with organized crime. Gained more information about her mother's death than the police had ever provided.

"I've painted you. Etched you across countless sketchbooks, but you're a drug I can't shake. I go home, blood still wet on my skin and all I can think of is you. How much I miss you on my couch, in my bed."

She glared at him from behind her tears. "I can't do this."

"Do you miss me, Caroline?"

She looked away. "You need to leave."

Slow, gentle strokes of his fingers against her thundering pulse, and he said her name softly. Tone coaxing.

"Caroline. Do you miss me?"

A tear slipped down her cheek and she shook her head. "No."

He cupped her face, hands gentle against her skin. "Little liar."

Klaus kissed her. Lips sliding long and lingering against her lips, tongue chasing her hitching sigh - a hand sliding to cup her ass, pull her closer so he could court her with his tongue. Shuddering, fingers tangled in the collar of his shirt, the tangle of necklaces, Caroline melted against him. Breathed in the taste and feel of him, and felt something break open in her chest.

Her face was wet as he pulled back, his fingers wiping her cheeks. "Stop running."

She huffed, swatted his hands from her face and used her shirt to wipe her eyes. "Not going to drag me back by my hair?"

"I'm exceptionally tempted to tie you to my bed. Long, silk scarves in reds and golds - the dark silk of my sheets the perfect canvas for your skin." Klaus ran a tongue along his lips.

Caroline let out a shaky breath. "You lied to me."

"Yes."

"You won't stop killing."

"No," Klaus said, hands twitching with the need to reach for her. "This is my life."

"And you just expect me to accept it," Caroline demanded, blinking heavily. "To approve."

Klaus caught her shaky hand, pressed it to his lips. "Caroline - do you love me?"

"Please don't ask me that."

"I don't require your approval or you acceptance. I don't need it. What I need is you. Your sunshine and your temper; the way you throw the towels I left on the floor at me, the way you reach for me at night - how you steal all my shirts."

Caroline shook her head, bottom lip wobbling. "How can we go back to that? How do you expect this to work?"

"And this makes you happy? Running?" He reached out, caught her shoulders with firm hands. "I know you Caroline. I know this isn't what you want."

"What I want is gone," Caroline whispered. "When I found you standing over my father's body."

Klaus licked his lips. "So you'll continue to run?"

"Will you let me?" Caroline breathed.

"What if I give you a different option," Klaus ground out, eyes sliding closed. "I cannot risk my family seeing you as a liability and I will not let the Feds hunt you. I have a place, a safe house. Elijah does not know of it, does not know he should hunt for it. You can start over."

Caroline froze, eyes locked onto his face. "And you?"

"I'd walk away," he said through locked teeth. "If that's what you need, I'll let you be."

Caroline blinked hard, ignoring the fresh wetness on her cheeks, stared at the harsh expression on Klaus' face as he refused to look at her. "You'd let me go."

"I'd try," Klaus said flatly. "For you, I'd try."

Her father's killer. Holding her with hands darker than anyone she'd known, with scars on his body and behind his eyes that she'd never know the stories too. He'd hunt in the shadows for his family - until something scarier came along and destroyed him, or he transitioned into a different role. But the Mikaelson family was who he was.

She should say yes.

She wanted to walk away.

Her stepfather hadn't cared about her opinion. He'd cut his deal, expected her to run with him and her step-sister. Her mother had been killed by her father's associates. Her father had decided he was smarter than the family he'd chosen to work for.

And this nightmare, this killer waited with clenched jaw and fury for her to reject him. This horrible man who loved her, who'd watched her from a killer's eyes and answered all her hysterical questions, Bill Forbes' blood on his hands. Who liked cuddles and made the best pancakes she'd ever tasted. Who laughed like it was a surprise and stained her skin with his artist's hands.

All she had to do was take his deal. Walk away. Accept she'd find a shadow every so often, make a life for herself. She'd be free.

It was everything she wanted.

The hole it opened in her chest devastated her. The tight band around her lungs, the burning in her stomach - she'd lived alone for two years, tasted absolute loneliness and there, at the back of her mind she wondered. She knew Klaus would hunt her, he'd answered too many of her questions; given too much away. But she'd always wondered why… if she really mattered to him. She knew his family would prefer her dead - Elijah had been clear - but here Klaus was…

Waiting for her.

"I can't," Caroline sobbed, hands pressing against her mouth. She shook her head, face crumbling. "I can't."

"Sweetheart," Klaus tried, hands reaching for hers. But instead of pulling away, she stepped into the line of his body, pressed her face into his shoulder and cried. Sobbed brokenly as his arms curved around her, as he sank to the floor and tucked her close, rocking slowly.

Eventually, her tears stopped. But Caroline didn't let go, fingers curled tightly into his shirt. What did it mean, that she loved a monster too much to walk away? She couldn't save this man - his path was straight before him, the loyalty to his family binding. She understood that. She'd loved her mother, and had even loved her father, but would either of her parents have loved her for making this choice?

Could she live with herself for condoning Klaus' lifestyle? Because whatever he felt for her - to choose her over his family's wishes - it would wither and die if she tried to ignore parts of his life. It would crumble beneath her desperate fingers, no matter how hard she clung to him.

But wasn't that was she'd struggled with for the last two years? It wasn't being alone that had left her so lonely her bones had ached, but the lack of Klaus. She'd proven she could live without him, she didn't need him to survive, didn't want to want him – scrapped out her tiny pieces of happiness. But those weeks she'd spent with him, those bright star bursts of joy had left her empty when they'd been taken away.

"I miss you," Caroline hiccuped into his chest. "I miss you."

Klaus went still beneath her body, the steady beat of his heart thudding underneath her cheek. His fingers tangled in her hair, fingertips resting against the nap if her neck and she felt his body brace itself before she spoke.

"Caroline…"

"I want to hate you." She told him, refusing to look at him, fingers winding tightly into his shirt. "I've tried to hate you."

"I deserve your hate."

She nodded. "Yes. So why can't I?"

His chest hitched, fingers flexing in her hair. "What are you saying?"

Slowly, Caroline leaned back, fingers untangled from his clothes. She reached up, cupped his face between her hands and swallowed. "I want to be happy. I don't want to look over my shoulder looking for danger; I want a family - my family - around me. But the day my mom died, the day I walked back into my dad's life I lost that, didn't I?"

Klaus' jaw worked. "You can still have that."

"But not with you." Caroline breathed, lips trembling. "I won't bring children into a life with you - I won't risk your family twisting them. My father made choices - terrible choices that cost me everything - and I don't know if I can forgive you being the instrument of his death. But I can try."

"Caroline, I need you to tell me what you want." Klaus' eyes were wild. "What are you saying, love?"

"This safe house of yours, does it have room for two people?"

His eyes slid shut; hands sliding free of her hair to encircle her wrists. His fingers trembled, just a little. "I can't hide forever."

"Just long enough for us to settle," Caroline whispered. "Long enough for you and I to find our footing. I won't go to you with your family like this - I need time."

He pulled her hands from way from his jaw, kissed her palms slowly. His eyes burned as they looked at her, the feral edge sending something hit down her spine.

"I can't watch you walk away twice."

"I need to know we can do this," Caroline whispered. "That I can accept the killer."

"If you can't?"

"I don't know," Caroline admitted.

He nodded once. "I can't promise you happiness, sweetheart. But if you let me, I'll love you forever."

"I know."

"I have a plane waiting," Klaus said quietly. "How soon can you be ready to leave?"

"Now." Caroline said with a shrug. "All my important things are in a lock-box in Phoenix."

He blinked. "Why Phoenix

"Seemed like as good a place as any," she admitted. "Klaus… you've a lot to make up for."

"Yes."

Caroline untangled herself from him, tried not to reach for him as he stood. "You can start with pancakes."

Lips curling, he watched her from beneath his lashes, gaze hot. "If that's where you want me to start."

Swallowing, Caroline turned on her heel. "I need fifteen minutes."

"Take as long as you want, love. I'm here."

Caroline ducked behind her door, breathed out slowly. Wondered if wherever she was, Liz Forbes could forgive her this choice. Hand pressed over her heart, she closed her eyes. Waited for her pulse to calm - waited for the guilt.

All she felt was relief.

Nodding, Caroline packed her bag.

Klaus was waiting for her when she exited her room. Reaching for her hand, he laced their fingers together. "Ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	30. Chapter 30

Happy AU Week everyone! I think I got this done in time for Day Two: Butterfly Affect.

 **All the Gin Joints**

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Caroline liked bars.

When she'd been turned a century ago, the best a poor unmarried widow could hope to do on her own involved being flat on her back. At seventeen, she'd commanded quite the price, with her blond curls and blue eyes. Then one of her customers had gotten greedy and she'd woken with an appetite that had little to do with sex and everything to do with blood. Freedom tasted like metallic wine on her tongue and as a vampire, she'd thrived.

But she'd never quite lost her pleasure in being near people.

So at night, she worked as a barkeep. She liked to bounce from bar to bar, and over the years, perfected several languages exchanging stories with drunks. Caroline liked the little glimpses into human lives, the reminders that eternity only stretched out endlessly if you let it, and she enjoyed coaxing laughter from those who needed it. If occasionally, she ended up eating a sleazebag or two, well everyone had their vices.

She rarely stayed at one bar for more than a few months, and only stayed in a city until her feet knew them. Then she walked away as easily as she arrived, thirsty for the secrets the world had to tell her. She knew dozens of languages proficiently, spoke a few smattering he of a dozen more. As the years ticked on, there were faces here and there that she knew, even the occasional friend she'd send post cards too.

But those were rarer, as the years carried on. In all her three centuries, Caroline had never really found herself looking for a familiar face in the crowd. But as she deftly poured a drink, eyes scanning the milling patrons in their modern clothes and childish enthusiasm, she found herself wondering if maybe it was time to start putting down roots.

"When Marcel mentioned a bit of blonde trouble, I wasn't expecting you," a familiar, clipped voice cut into her into her musings. "Hello, Caroline."

Caroline blinked. Turning, she found herself looking over at Klaus Mikaelson. She'd run into him a dozen or so times over the years, always during the most interesting of circumstances. She _still_ blamed him for that mess in Buenos Aires, and the glitter of amusement in his eye told her she wasn't hiding it.

"Klaus," she said, letting her surprise show. "Well, this is unexpected. I didn't realize you were still in the States. Is Marcel the one who keeps sending the annoying little minions to demand I present myself?"

He looked the same. A wild tumble of curls, blue eyes and wicked smile. She liked the necklaces, and what the shirt did for his shoulders. Klaus wasn't the type of vampire you bedded and then walked away from, and she'd always been a bit wary of the spark between them.

His lips curled and those dimples of his creased his cheeks. "Those would be my minions, love."

Both brows arching, she sauntered over closer to him, head tilting so the long tumble of her hair fell across her shoulder. "Your minions are rude."

"Are they? Is that why you keep eating them," Klaus queried.

"I can't abide rudeness," Caroline said dismissively. "As you well know."

Klaus made a low, considering noise. "I seem to recall it being mentioned. I do remember quite clearly, a variety of offers to make up any perceived slights, sweetheart."

Caroline lowered her lashes, watched him from beneath the heavy fringe. "And yet, you've yet to make an offer that I've taken you up on."

She watched a vampire shift away from Klaus, expression way and ignored him. Klaus was the most dangerous creature she'd ever met, but she'd proven to be useful, and later, she was sure, interesting. The glint in his eye didn't speak of anger, but of challenge.

She spoke again before he could. "So, this is your city, then?"

"For now," he murmured as he dragged his gaze along her body. Heat glimmered in his eyes, and the faintest hint of yellow caught the light.

Curious, she leaned closer, to study the colors in those eyes. She ignored the irritated calls for attention down the bar. It wasn't important, with Klaus' breath on her skin. It'd been a long time since she'd had a puzzle. "That's new."

Klaus' lips curled higher, and his fingers lifted to brush along one of her curls. "Hmmm. So it is."

She swiped her tongue along her lip, hid her own smile when his pupils widened. "Always with your secrets."

"Let me take you to dinner." Klaus said softly, words nearly a demand.

" _I_ have a shift to finish."

Klaus shifted his gaze to the crowd, arched a thoughtful brow. "I could just eat them."

"I don't have a particular urge to repeat Buenos Aires," Caroline said firmly, eyes rolling upwards. "Which, by the way, you still have to make up to me."

"And how may I acquit myself?"

She set a drink in front of him. "You can start by tipping well."

Klaus caught her hand, thumb brushing along the veins on the underside of her wrist. "And later?"

Caroline paused, and consider him. The French Revolution was a long time ago, and age had given her an interesting perspective on monsters. Klaus had shown her kindness, once or twice, which she had repaid with what information she could regarding his curse. She'd always believed that their run-ins over the years were a mixture of her endless curiosity and his need for answers. And odd fondness, for the baby vampire he'd once known. But something had changed in Buenos Aires, when he'd incited that tiny war between the witches and wolves. Klaus had snapped her neck and left her abandoned in a boat a mile off shore, and it been years before she'd put enough of the puzzle together to understand who and what Mikael was.

Klaus didn't carry himself as someone content with how things had been. Instead, there was a hunting intensity to him that stirred the monster in her veins. Head tilting, she let caught her lip between her teeth, flicked her gaze to his mouth and then back to his eyes. "Well now, that depends. On how much you make it worth my while."

Tongue snaking across his lips, he lifted his glass and took a slow sip, gaze holding hers. "I'd be delighted."

Caroline thought he might. At the very least, he'd be a night of fun. She could always slip away to her next venture. Although, the way his eyes had bled gold, Caroline thought her days of going decades between run-ins might be over.

And she so did want to test out what kind of stamina a hybrid had.

* * *

 _Happy Day Three! Adversaries! Justanotherfiveminutes is the only reason this is seeing the light of day. Thank you Sophie. You're the best._

 **I'm on Fire**

* * *

Caroline shivered beneath the blanket she'd been tucked into. Hypothermia was a concern, but she'd changed into a different set of clothing and was trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey. She'd been cleared from having to go to the hospital or a warming IV, so she figured she was fine. It was what was going on in the other ambulance pulling away that she was worried about. This should have been an open and shut suicide, but Caroline was betting the presence of a creature that controlled seawater was going to make it a lot more complicated.

Barring the attempted murder of two cops.

She bit her lip. It had better remain attempted. To lose a rookie on his first day in homicide would be a kick in the gut for the department that was already reeling from one death. Goddammit.

"Detective?"

Caroline looked over to find Special Agent Mikaelson walking towards her. In his hands was a steaming takeout cup of something. He wasn't wearing a coat in respect to the drizzle, and his curls looked riotous. Wiggling a hand free, she cautiously accepted the offered drink and was amused to discover it was hot chocolate.

"Agent."

His lips quirked slightly, and he leaned against the side of the ambulance with eyes that were once again dark with things she'd no intention of reading. "I've been told to keep this short."

"Elena can be fierce," Caroline murmured as she glanced over at the brunette EMT. "But she means well."

"Friends?"

Caroline shrugged. "It never hurts to make them."

A quirk of his lips at the slight accusation in her voice. He didn't look at all bothered by her jab. She might have admired his thick skin, but it honestly just made her want to punch him in his perfect teeth.

"I owe you an apology."

She paused, the drink inches from her mouth. Studied the lines of his face. "How so?"

A hint of a dimple before he slipped one hand into his pocket, face sobering. "You make a habit to carry cold iron with you, Detective?"

It was an old safety blanket, born from teenage years spent knowing that a fae nightmare had killed her mother. Years later, the truth might have freed that particular fae from its fate, but Caroline had stopped feeling comfortable without cold iron around her.

Special Agent Mikaelson from the FBI Department of Wierd didn't need to know that.

"My captain encourages police officers to carry iron, Agent. Shall I dig out my handbook?"

A flicker of something bright slipped along his pupil, and Caroline tilted her head, gaze narrowed. Caroline knew what magic looked like. Until that moment, she'd have sworn Mikaelson was human. A complete ass, but human. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"That knife wasn't department issued," Mikaelson said with a hint of a blade in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Caroline said serenely after she took a slow sip of her drink. It was really good hot chocolate. She wondered where he'd gotten it. "What exactly is this apology?"

His eyes were calculating, as he studied her. Those disgustingly long lashes lowered to hide his gaze, and when they lifted, his pupils were golden. The blue of his iris had narrowed to a thin band, and the color had changed to something several shades brighter. It was like looking at the heart of a star. Other than his eyes, he somehow managed to appear completely human.

Her mouth ran dry.

"We underestimated her," Klaus said and the crisp tones of his accent had sharpened a hair. "Fortunately, it appears that you were also underestimated, and that was a lucky break. My sincere apologies, Detective Forbes that you were pulled into a situation you shouldn't have had to deal with."

Something about his tone got her back up.

"I'm a cop," Caroline told him bluntly. She didn't back down from his gaze, even when the tilting of his head wasn't quite… right. "It's my job to deal with the unexpected. How long have you know what we were hunting was a she and what she could do, Agent?"

He long had he known that this… woman could drown someone, when they were standing between four walls.

Caroline was certain she'd dream of screaming. The saltwater scent and the taste of brine in her mouth. The monster who'd had no face that Caroline could describe with words, she'd had no interest in Caroline. The rage, the worst of the water had been used to attack the men who'd stood around her as they'd examined the scene. Surprise had been the only reason Caroline had won, and an old, old habit.

Watching the life go out of a nightmare was no easier than watching a human die.

Those eyes studied her. "I'm afraid that's classified."

"Is it now," Caroline said slowly, a hint of drawl elongating her vowels.

"You're a bit of an enigma, Detective," Mikaelson said, the calculation in his gaze turning to iron she recognized. "Your mother murdered; yet, you worked to clear her supposed murderer's name. You filed a complaint with the local bureau when they couldn't produce information on a number of supernatural killers."

"Families deserve the truth," she said stiffly. "They also deserve to know what justice has been given. It's not that difficult a concept."

"Sometimes, truth isn't the right answer."

Caroline tossed the last of the hot chocolate on the ground and stood, unwrapping herself from the blankets. The oversized clothing was a little ridiculous and her hair was a tangled mess scraped into a wet bun, but right then she couldn't care less. Pasting on a fake smile, she hoisted the ends of her pants so she wouldn't trip. "Yeah, well, in that case, why don't you shove that apology up your ass."

His brow arched. She didn't like how much taller her was than her when he straightened, and she lifted her chin to scowl when he stepped into her space. "Regardless, the bureau will extend its apologies to you and your precinct."

Her teeth ground together. "So that's it?"

"The case is closed."

"Oh yeah? Care to tell me what the motive?" Caroline asked.

"I'm afraid that's classified as well," Klaus said simply.

"Donovan had a daughter," she said softly.

Those burning eyes softened a hair. "The loss of any life is always a regret."

Caroline showed him the edge of her teeth. "And this mythical apology of yours. Will it include using cops as bait?"

The smile wiped from his face and his chin lowered, so they were nearly eye to eye. It struck her again, how pretty he was, with his scruffy jaw and burning eyes. His magic should have frightened her, but all it did was piss her off. He'd had this magic and she'd almost drowned. He was such a dick.

"Is that what you believe happened?"

Of course that was what it was. Mikaelson was obviously not human, and Caroline had seen this kind of maneuvering before, when her mother had been killed. Had seen good and honest men, used as easily discarded chess pieces. She wasn't stupid and she resented that he thought she was but this was also not her fight to battle. Engaging in supernatural politics just got messy and she'd spent twenty six years avoiding that. So she widened her eyes, and her voice was syrup sweet when she spoke again.

"Just because Lockwood didn't spring the trap doesn't mean you weren't using us," Caroline said lowly, not backing down as the wild colors in his gaze shifted like tectonic plates.

"Be very careful, Forbes," Mikaelson said softly, gaze tracking a curl as it tumbled across her cheek. "There are things in this world you don't want to engage."

Caroline wasn't sure if he referencing himself or whatever had happened to Donovan. Not that it mattered. When had she ever let something stop her from getting answers for the families who's had a loved one stolen? Knowing that a killer was dead meant nothing if you couldn't grasp why.

Sometimes there was no good answer.

This wasn't one of those times.

Still, she'd no reason to tell Special Agent Klaus Mikaelson that, did she? "I'd of course have no idea. I'm just a murder cop."

Mikaelson laughed. Deep and rich, dimples flashing, he watched her as the gold and wild blue faded from his eyes. "It'd be easier if you were, Forbes."

It was on the tip of her tongue, to ask him what he was. What caused eyes to shift to molten heat that way, while the rest of them remained normal. What kind of power did he have? But she sensed a trap there, saw him waiting and refused to give him the satisfaction.

Bonnie might know, anyway.

"Apparently your case is closed," Caroline said with sugary sweetness as she shifted to walk away. "So, here's to hoping I never see you again."

"I don't believe it will be quite that simple, Detective," Mikaelson said softly, voice laced with warning as she moved towards the squad cars.

She rather thought it was.

* * *

Three days later, when her Captain brought up that the FBI were digging through her old cases, she was irritated. When the official letter offering her a both an apology as well as position showed up, she had Enzo sneak her Tyler's phone so she could dig out a particular phone number. She never replied to the Bureau directly, but she did send someone a picture of the letter on fire.

The response left her grinding her teeth.

 _Some things are inevitable, love._

Yeah, they'd see about that.

 _ **Please Comment**_


	31. Chapter 31

**Twist Me Along Your Sky**

Day Five: Time Shift!

* * *

Everything hurt.

Caroline could feel the snow melting underneath her, bare fingertips still warmer than the frigid air around her. It smelled clean, beneath the blood and bone; the heavy, wet scent of wolf fur. Her bites burned, and some hysterical part of her found her impending death from werewolves to be amusing. Life had finally come full circle.

Drifting, it was the unexpected silence that roused her. Silence, when she'd been waiting for the carion to find her on the deserted streets, and she struggled to lift her lashes. Coughing until she tasted blood, Caroline managed to roll onto her side, but her arms gave out before she could shift to a place that might've been defensible. Eyes parting for mere seconds, she caught sight of boots and heavy pants, and shuddered as she sank back into the snow drift.

Hopefully, death would come quickly.

Numb and frozen, she jolted when hot fingertips traced along her cheekbone.

"There you are," the soft voice of a ghost said. "I've been looking for you, Caroline."

* * *

When Klaus died, magic unraveled.

Caroline always thought he'd like that little irony, that the effort needed to destroy him had ruined the very power used against him. As it turned out, Klaus hadn't been wrong when he called himself a true immortal, but unlike Silas, killing him was no simple task. White Oak was rare, and after centuries of rooting out any possible seeds, Klaus has ensured that it was nearly impossible to find. So instead, they'd tried to unmake his bones, destroy the magic that had created him.

Bonnie had laughed when they'd finally pieced together what had happened, standing over the glass and ash of the ritual site. Hands fisted, eyes wild, she'd laughed until she hunched over, arm wrapped around her middle. Caroline shivered at the utter lack of mirth.

"They unmade him," Bonnie said as she straightened. Smile wide and broken, she faced Caroline with glittering eyes. "They unmade us all."

Magic was unraveling and it was becoming new. And it was driving witches insane. No one understood at first, and those witches who scried looking for answers were the earliest casualties. The stronger the witch, the faster they burned out; the more destruction they wrought.

There were pockets of magic that had survived - New Orleans, Haiti, a couple of the island religions - but Caroline would never forget turning on her TV and seeing that first catastrophe. The expression behind the witch's eyes as she opened a gate to something no human nightmare could've imagined, blood bubbling in her throat as she screamed for power. The manhunt that had started but was doomed from the start. The best society had managed done in those early days had been to contain witch until she burned herself out, but even that soon became impossible.

It'd been nearly sixty years since Bonnie Bennett had disappeared, but sometimes Caroline still had nightmares from that last goodbye. Something dangerous crawled in Bonnie's veins, power that should never have walked this world.

"Its different, because I was an anchor," Bonnie told her, eyes distant. "It's different. Be careful, Caroline. I'm not the only nightmare. Not anymore."

Horrors walked the world. Things far more terrible than the vampires the witches had hoped to eradicate. No one could explain how vampires survived Klaus' unmaking; the rest of his family imprisoned in the bowels of the earth. Magic was a finicky beast now, and the rules were all mixed up. What Caroline knew was that werewolves were feral with power and witches were hunted, while vampires and humans carved out small territories for themselves, cautiously co-existed.

"It might've been something else," Bonnie told her as she turned to walk away, before her magic betrayed her completely. "If the Mikaelsons had survived."

But Klaus had been gone for years; his siblings locked away in places Caroline could not follow. There was no prison world to breach for the hybrid, no do-over to hunt for. Mystic Falls was gone, world governments were moot and Caroline had walked away from the Salvatores years before. She wandered from place to place, looking. For what she was never sure.

Early on, she'd sometimes wandered into abandoned bookstores and would flip through the old travel guides and would wonder. But a hundred and fifty years had taught her that old memories cut deeply, and now she tried not to to let the what-ifs keep her up at night. For the first time in her life, she was truly alone, and Caroline had thrived.

Of all places, she'd ended up in Chicago.

New York had become a bloody territorial fight between the truly old, and Los Angeles was too warm to stay in safely. Nightmares apparently enjoyed beaches. New Orleans was holding its own, but Chicago? The brutal winters meant only a small population of humans struggled to maintain their survival and Caroline had been one of the first vampires to stake out a territory.

It'd been small at first. Just a few blocks of what had once been a lovely section of downtown, in one of the few buildings that still had a solid foundation. What were a few stairs for a vampire? Caroline had taken over the penthouse suite, and had converted it into something she could defend.

She'd discovered she was good at renovating, took pleasure in fixing things. Scrounging through wreckage for furniture, for good wood and the parts she needed was surprisingly relaxing in between the brutal fights necessary to hold her territory. Strangely, matching floorboards and gutting people's abandoned equipment for something salvageable allowed her to relax in her grind for survival.

To her surprise, slowly other apartments in the building started to fill with humans. Then the block around her building. Eventually, she worked out a system of blood for the promise of safety. She looked young, but Caroline knew how to fight dirty. It was necessary to put down enemies fast, as she couldn't afford debilitating injuries now that she was alone. A reduced population meant any accidents were costly. For fifty years, she and what she'd come to affectionately think of her humans, had struggled to survive.

Then the wolves had come.

* * *

Caroline woke warm.

Tucked into a blanket, she recognized the feel of her couch, but it was the crackle of a fire her fuzzy brain couldn't quite comprehend. Taking a careful breath, she couldn't help the little hitching noise, the tightening of her fingers at a scent she hadn't forgotten in all the years since their last meeting.

"Hello, love."

She twisted and stared at a mirage. Wild curls, sharp cheekbones, and a tangle of necklaces, the man standing next to her fireplace was born from hundreds of old fantasies. For a moment, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she was unable to think. Klaus Mikaelson was dead. Klaus was standing in her living room, and the ache in her chest hurt.

And it was that ache that spurred her into moving. Bonnie had told her Klaus was gone and in the end, Bonnie had never been wrong. Fury turned the world red. If this was a witch playing with her while she died from werewolf venom, she'd do her best to make them regret it.

She didn't manage to touch him. Shock turned her muscles rigid as she was pinned face first against a wall. The hot, male body against her spine enraged her.

"Such a fierce vampire," Klaus' voice breathed against her ear. Caroline hissed, and tried to find leverage to make him hurt. Before she could figure out how a witch was holding her, there was a brush of beard against her neck and the sharp, quick pain of a bite. Caroline gasped as her body shuddered with the sudden sensations. He didn't linger, tongue a hot rasp against the wound before he spun her so that she was facing him.

Her rage died in her throat as she took in the yellow eyes, the black veins and double fangs peeking from behind bloody lips.

The wound on her neck started to burn.

One hand fell away from where he had her pinned and maybe-Klaus brought his wrist to his mouth, ripping open the skin. The hot scent of his blood left her stomach trembling. Lips curled, every bloody memory she'd missed, he pressed his wrist against her lips.

"Come now, Caroline, let's not repeat the first time I bit you."

He tasted perfect.

Caroline was helpless against the greed of her vampire as soon as his blood touched her tongue. The blood high was a rush she rarely allowed herself, and somehow his blood was even better than she remembered. She'd have moaned at the rush of arousal, the need for more, if she had dared let go. He didn't allow her more than a few mouthfuls, before he pulled his hand away. She stared at him, chest heaving,

Releasing her wrists, he ran his thumb across her lips before licking away the blood.

"Klaus?" Her voice shook a little and the way his head canted, the open pit behind his eyes left her heart thumping.

Lips curling, Klaus bent his head. "Caroline."

He kissed her. Mouth sealing across hers, Klaus gripped the nape of her neck and slicked his tongue along her bloody lips. Caroline surged upwards and tangled her fingers in his curls, lips parting to greedily taste him. She jolted in surprise as he just as quickly lifted his head, pupils blown as his touch turned soothing.

"I'd forgotten," he murmured, breath a little fast.

Caroline took a slow breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart. "Forgotten?"

"How you smell, how you taste," he licked his lips, and something behind his gaze had her stomach trembling. "Three hundred years, Caroline. I burned the world."

When she stepped away from him, he let her. Cautious, she watched him from wary eyes. "It hasn't been three hundred years since you died."

His smile was the edge of a knife. His gaze spoke of coveting, of desire, but it was hardly friendly. Caroline wouldn't let herself flinch.

"No," he agreed, head angling so the fire caught the yellow of his eyes. "It's been that long since you did."

The sudden, stomach twisting knowledge that this might an elaborate hallucination had her clenching her fists. She clearly wasn't dead. Yet. But Bonnie had told her…

"Come now, Caroline. A witch is unlikely to be able to holds spell together long enough to maintain this illusion."

She didn't like that he could read her face.

"A coven might," Caroline said lowly. "And there a few of those left."

"To what purpose?" He asked, hands clasping behind his back.

"You tell me."

He laughed and paced towards her. Caroline set her heels in sheer stubbornness, as he reached for a curl and rubbed it between his fingers. Something flared behind the brilliance of his gaze, and her monster itched along her skin.

"Still so lovely," he murmured before his eyes met hers. "Three hundred years ago, you sacrificed yourself to save me. Foolish, foolish girl that you are."

She snorted. "I certainly did not."

"The Bennett witch informs me that I'm quite dead in this timeline," he said without acknowledging her comment. "Amazing, that two dissimilar events could bring about the same end result. Here, magic rips the world apart and in my timeline, I've become the monster they thought me. The world burns, regardless."

"Impossible," she said tightly. "Bonnie is dead."

She couldn't think about the fact that he said he was destroying the world. Because of her. That was impossible. She and Klaus were never her and Klaus. When he died, she hadn't seen him in decades.

"Quite mad, but hardly dead," Klaus dismissed. "She shapes the magic of this world as surely as my death broke it."

Caroline snarled and shoved him away. "Don't lie to me. Bonnie died."

Klaus laughed. Dimples flashing deep, he looked at her furious face with such hunger. "To what purpose would I lie? For three hundred years I've laid a world to ruin, bled it dry and turned it to ash. And a single, mad witch decided to change fate. Here you stand before me, alive, and alive you will stay."

The darkness in his voice left her staring. He believed every word. That she'd died. That Bonnie had snatched him from some alternate reality.

A thousand questions lay on her tongue. Her words were ragged, when she finally found them. "I'm not her."

"I do not need you to be her," Klaus said with glittering eyes as he shifted back into her personal space. "Just as you will find that you do not need me to be the Klaus who is inexcusably dead. The Caroline I knew was still a child. A fascinating, glorious creature, but still so utterly new. She died for me. That will never happen again."

"You don't know me."

"One day, we will discuss the differences in our worlds until we pinpoint the exact moment our worlds changed. But make no mistake, Caroline, I know you." Klaus touched the hollow of her throat with careful fingertips. "Fierce creature that you are. I so look forward to seeing how you've grown into your skin. There will be differences of course, and I'm quite willing to categorize them with my tongue."

Mouth bone dry, she licked her lips. "Why would Bonnie bring you here?"

"Because one day, the magic will settle," Klaus said easily, continuing to skim his fingers along her skin. Touch starved, every part of her wanting, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. He spoke only when he reached her mouth, smoothing his thumb along her bottom lip.

"When the ashes clear, there you'll be. With me. For all the millennia that follow. You'll find, my love that the lengths I will go to keep you with me, are beyond even a nightmare's imagination."

Staring at the darkness in his gaze, heart hammering in her throat, Caroline believed him.

* * *

 **The Charm is Good and Done**

Happy AU Day Six: Crossover/Fusion! This is based on a tiny Klaroline Harry Potter drabble I did a bit ago. You can read it here. Thank you for those who asked for more.

* * *

"So you're telling me that you can't open the door or that you won't?"

Caroline knew intellectually that she'd only been in the damn broom closet for roughly five minutes or so. But it was honestly five minutes longer than she'd spent in any closet and she wanted out. She wasn't a broom closet kind of girl. They were cramped, tiny things and you couldn't see anything without a wand light, and that added a risk of being caught; it could be hot, but that thrill could be found in other places that were cleaner and less cramped.

But that was a path she didn't need to wander mentally when she was pressed flush against an unfairly distracting Hit Wizard. Although she was willing to admit that if she had to be squished into a closet, a highly trained magical law enforcement wasn't the worst possible person. If this had been a week ago, she'd have been privately delighted. Right now, she was just mortified.

"A bit of both, I'm afraid. It's plausible that I could break the spell, but it'd require a touch of brute force. Not a great deal of subtlety with an explosion," Klaus Mikaelson said thoughtfully. "Relax, sweetheart, these types of spells usually have a built in expiration."

Caroline blew out a noisy breath. This particular closet was near the employee only lift for her building, and if she hadn't been completely blindsided by whatever had shoved her, she'd never have ended up in this position in the first place. It had been a long day and her feet hurt. Even cushioning spells could only work for so long. What she wanted was a bubble bath and to finish the newest muggle romance book she'd snagged.

Irritable, she glowered and directed her ire at the only target available. "You seem awfully familiar with this spell. You didn't plan this did you?"

His breath ghosted along her cheek and neck as he exhaled, and she shivered. Klaus' voice was laced with exasperation when he spoke. "I'm a bit insulted that you think that I'd choose something quite this trite."

Reaching up, Caroline gripped the bridge of her nose. "It's been a long day," she said in lieu of an apology.

He made a considering sound, and she felt him shift around until he was able to lean a bit more comfortably. "Of course, I had hoped to catch you. Ask if you'd be interested in a drink, maybe dinner. As enjoyable as having you pressed agaInst me is love, I'm not one to torture myself unnecessarily and this is hardly an ideal location."

Caroline went still before slowly twisting to peer upwards through the gloom. She couldn't really make out his features and that annoyed her. Catching her lip, she finally spoke. "Why would you want a date?"

"Why?" Klaus repeated, a hint of incredulity deepening his voice. "I wasn't drunk when I kissed you, Caroline. I'm fairly certain you weren't either. Why wouldn't I wish to pursue you after that display of chemistry?"

"It was just a kiss, Klaus."

She mentally agreed with his snort. There was kissing and then there was kissing, and boy, did Klaus know how to kiss. She'd heard rumors over the years about his prowess, of course. Three years and separate houses didn't actually mean a damn thing in Hogwarts, where the gossip put most military intelligence to shame.

Klaus had been very good at Quidditch, a point in his favor. That he was grumpy, and a bit of a prick, and that aloofness had given him an air of mystery. Then there was his supposed fortune, and the girls at Hogwarts had eaten him up.

But whatever dalliances Klaus had kept had been discreet, so all she'd had was rumor. She'd found him attractive, she wasn't blind, but they'd rarely interacted over the years. He'd gone off to his Hit Wizard training instead of continuing a career in Quidditch, and Caroline hadn't given that niggling crush a second thought until three days ago.

He'd been at the Witch's Broom, a favorite bar of hers. She'd seen him long before he'd noticed her. She and Bonnie had been out celebrating her friend's promotion, and Caroline had used it as an escape from cataloging at her current role in the Department of Mysteries.

Hit Wizard training had been good for him. The thin, curly haired boy had filled out. Klaus was still lean, but now there was a strength there, and a sense of purpose she'd found very sexy. She'd caught herself gawking. Had turned away with burning ears when his eyes had landed on her face.

Later in the evening, after a few shots of something blue, she'd been laughing at Bonnie's attempt at dancing. She'd felt eyes on her and turned, her gaze colliding with Klaus'. The blue of his eyes had been very intent, lips slightly parted, as he drank her in like a starving man.

Klaus kissed like that too. As if her lips and tongue were an answer he'd been seeking. Hands in her hair, body hard against hers, he'd melted her bones.

"Then why avoid me?" His voice broke into her musing and she was thankful that he couldn't see her flaming face.

"Assumptions," she growled. She had been avoiding him. Post-Tyler, she was still feeling a little relationship shy. Eighty years since the Blood Wars, and blood superiority still cropped up occasionally. It certainty hadn't worked in her favor that she was an American and that her mom had been a muggle before her death.

He laughed softly, and the shift of his robes against the wall was the only way she could track movement. "Hmm. You bolted, and I foolishly didn't follow. You've been avoiding your usual post-work haunts, and I've seen not a trace of you at the Witch's Broom."

"Seriously?" She muttered, moving so she could press against the door, glad for what little space she could manage. "How would you know that?"

"I asked around."

That threw her. Brows tucked together, she chewed her lip. "Why?"

"I fancy you," Klaus said softly. "I have for a bit longer than I'd like to admit."

"Oh," Caroline managed. "But… when?"

His laugh this time was self-deprecating. "You were a bright little thing, at Hogwarts. But I had rules about dating younger girls, love, and by the time you'd graduated, you were serious with Lockwood."

She made an irritated noise herself. "Yes, well, that worked out terribly."

"Lockwood has always been a fool, it's the Gryffindor in him."

Caroline swallowed a laugh at the derision in his voice. Slowly, she took a tiny step forward and tried to study his face. He obligingly dipped his head, until their breaths mingled. Tongue swiping along her lip, she blinked at him. "You're serious."

His brow arched. "When have you known me to make an effort for things I've no interest in?"

"Well, true," She admitted. "But I don't know you that well, Klaus. What I do know was mostly the brooding, teenage prick."

A quick flash of dimples, and he shifted a fraction closer. Caroline's breathing went shallow, as his eyes lowered to her lips. "Well, then your opinion can only improve, hmm?"

Her lips parted as he closed the last inch between them, mouth sealing over hers. It was just like the other night, her head reeling at the scrape of teeth, the slickness of his tongue. She was running a hand up his neck, fingers greedy for those curls, when the door cracked open.

Klaus lifted his head and smoothed his thumb across her kiss wet lips. "Dinner?"

"Yes." She straightened her robe and peaked out. Finding it clear, she stepped out quickly, pausing so he could fall into step next to her. She glanced up at him, feeling a little shy, but he had no such reservation, lacing his hand with hers.

"You do know that wasn't likely an accident," Klaus commented as they stepped outside.

"I'm aware," Caroline said, voice a little breathless as his thumb ran along her knuckles. "Dinner will determine how much revenge I'll need to exact."

Blue eyes filled with amusement, he tugged her down an alley. "Shall I entreat you for mercy?"

The glitter in his eyes, the tip of his tongue wetting his lip, sent a rush of warmth through her veins. She liked that idea. Clearing her throat, cheeks pink, Caroline shook her head.

"I'd rather you show me that deviousness of yours and help me decide on a punishment." She glanced at him through her lashes. "But charming wouldn't be amiss."

Brow arched, he opened the door to one of her favorite restaurants and leaned down to speak, voice holding a hint of a rumble. "And what do you consider charm, love? I confess, I fall a bit more on the devious side."

She grinned and deliberately brushed against him as she stepped through the door. Klaus groaned, and Caroline hid her smile. She was pretty devious herself, and she was betting she could convince him to be very charming indeed.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	32. Chapter 32

**Corporate Wolves**

Day Six of KlaroAu Week: Mythical Creatures! I am so excited for today!

* * *

Picking up the shot glass, Caroline downed the tequila. Setting the glass down, she bit down harshly on lime in front of her and tried to drown her wolf in the burn and bitterness. For a moment, she could breathe past the overwhelming tightness in her throat, the steady thrum of arousal that left her uncomfortable and with no relief in sight.

It didn't work for long.

It had been a long day at the office. Made even more difficult by the fact that both the CEO and COO had been in, and her desk had been an endless revolving door of requests. Enzo had done his best to handle anything that wasn't urgent, but she'd been relieved when she'd been able to relieve.

Usually, after a day like this one, she'd be clearing out her inbox until midnight. Caroline thrived on challenges. She loved coming out on top, loved the satisfaction of organizing something impossible. But tomorrow was the full moon and there were strict policies in place, for good reason.

Tomorrow she would be expected in for a half day, duties to resume as normal at noon the following day. No one could argue that the Mikaelsons didn't take care of their people, and Caroline had been part of the team for nearly two decades.

It helped that no one wanted a grumpy werewolf making decisions. Her containment spell kept her from transforming unless she wished too, but her temper was extra short. Even though shifting was no longer necessary, not shifting meant her wolf needed to be given a different means of release. Caroline usually preferred sex, but finding a partner wasn't always plausible so she was extra irritable.

Elijah Mikaelson had made it very clear during her orientation that while the company was willing to work with her wolf, they would only tolerate so much.

" _As I'm sure you are aware, Ms. Forbes, we have ran a very thorough background check before extending you an offer."_

 _It was an exceptionally generous offer, but Caroline had no doubt that it would pay off. Werewolves didn't die, they were killed. No one was entirely certain how long a werewolf could live under the correct circumstances, but a few hundred years were easily manageable. Caroline was still considered young at thirty, but that only worked in Mikaelson International, Inc.'s favor._

 _Werewolves made excellent lawyers and were extremely loyal. Loyalty was worth it's weight in gold to a company like this one. MI handled everything from supernatural investments to other, more dangerous government contracts. By the time Caroline worked her way into a senior management position, her worth to the company would be far more than what they could offer, even if her rate had steady increases to offset inflation and to compensate her additional work load._

" _I'm aware," she said easily. She met Elijah's gaze and held it. The silver cuff that Bonnie had made her eight years ago let her hold his gaze without it becoming a challenge. "You've questions regarding the police report."_

 _A werewolf gene had to be activated. That happened only one way. Every werewolf in existence was a murderer, and some people were less happy about that than others._

" _It was sparse."_

" _The deputy who responded to my 911 call kept as much as he could out of the system. He didn't want the details ending up in the papers." Caroline tilted her head. "My dad killed my mom. I killed him. Will that be a problem?"_

 _Something flickered through those dark eyes. "No. We hardly discriminate based on personal defense, Ms. Forbes. You should know that several of the local packs have expressed concern around your continued refusal to consider membership."_

" _Will that be a problem?" Caroline repeated, brows arched. "I've no current interest in juggling any agenda but my own."_

 _A quirk of his mouth, as if he was amused. "Not at all. We find that having employees unaffiliated with the current supernatural politics to be a boon to our company. Welcome aboard Mikaelson International, Ms. Forbes."_

Licking the last of the lime and salt from her lips, Caroline heaved out a snarl of complaint. The full moon might be tomorrow, and the silver containment bracelet on her wrist burned with warning.

She shouldn't be this riled. Eyes closed in frustration, she ground her teeth together and promised her wolf if she'd just behave, they could go running on two legs tomorrow night. Her wolf ignored her request and pushed up against her skin in agitation; tonight her wolf wanted violence or sex.

 _Fine_.

Determinedly opening her eyes, Caroline studied the bartender with the interesting tattoos that usually would've interested her wolf, especially this close to the full moon. The easy smile and scruffy jaw should've interested the woman. God, it was so freaking frustrating that the only thing she wanted from him was another round of tequila.

The last eighteen months had been a continuous struggle to find someone her wolf would accept in her bed. It was the first time in her fifty years that she and her wolf had disagreed so fully, and her wolf had refused to let it go. Eighteen months, and Caroline was at her wits end. The person her wolf wanted was impossible!

"Another round, love?"

For a moment, Caroline thought she'd hallucinated. There was no way he was here at this dive bar, so far from his usual hang out, especially since he was supposed to be at a client dinner. Teeth set, she glanced over and had never been so grateful for the containment spell she wore tightly against at her skin.

Leather jacket, a tangle of fascinating necklaces, and dimples that promised sweetness right along with the sin of his gaze. Klaus Mikaelson was the absolute bane of her existence. For most of her first decade at MI they'd interacted sparsely, a quick nod as he walked into her manager's office or on his way into a meeting with Elijah. But five years ago, she'd been promoted into a senior legal position when her human boss had retired, and Caroline had found herself dealing with his captivating ruthlessness on an increasing regular basis.

" _Boss man likes you."_

 _Caroline glanced up at Enzo, the new hire that had replaced her. He was an anomaly, Enzo. Born to a witch line, he had a rare genetic quirk that allowed him to absorb magic. Voids were highly prized in law enforcement, but Enzo just rolled his eyes when the recruiters came calling. She'd only seen the affable witch lose his temper once, and then been after a particularly rude cop had muttered about needing a void to control a lone wolf._

 _Caroline hadn't seen the confrontation, and she hadn't commented on his bruised knuckles. Rebekah Mikaelson, the volatile witch who ran MI's HR department, on the other hand, had had many things to say about the incident. Caroline had just very quietly made the charges go away._

" _What?"_

 _Grinning, her favorite witch had shrugged. "Have you noticed that he ends up here more often than he does Elijah's office?"_

" _Elijah can tell him to fuck off," Caroline growled. She tapped her ear when Enzo arched a brow. "There is a reason we got new silencing spells."_

" _Ah, how boring." Enzo paused and considered his words. "But I'd pay to hear Elijah swear."_

 _Caroline snorted. "Stick around long enough and you'll hear more than that. Ask Katerina about the desk fire incident, and when you find out the details, give them to me. Elijah blushed when I asked, and then threw me out."_

 _Enzo grinned and ducked out with a laugh. She bit her lip as she turned back to her inbox, considering Enzo's words. Klaus Mikaelson was frustrating and scheming and unfairly attractive, but she wasn't sure she'd ping his behavior as interested. Dismissing the idea that her very dangerous boss would find her attractive, she went back to work._

She really wished she'd never noticed him.

Looking at the witch next to her, no one would've thought he owed the largest private corporation in the supernatural world. He looked like a delicious bit of fun, which Caroline supposed was part of his plan. Most rumors placed him at somewhere over a century, but Klaus hardly looked it. A hundred years or so of life had taught Klaus exactly how to hone all his edges, hide how devastatingly lethal he could be. But to her senses, magic clung to Klaus, glimmered in the depths of his eyes and along his skin like a promise.

"I thought you had a client meeting?" Caroline countered, letting irritation sharpen her voice.

His smile curled her toes, and God, what cologne was he wearing? She wanted to lick his pulse point, the curve of his jaw, to see if he tasted as delicious as he smelled. Caroline wasn't exactly young, but Klaus pushed at all her careful control. She'd never had to fight her wolf on quite this level, and she hated how her freaking boss seemed to know it.

"Keeping track of me?"

She'd never admit it. Not even torture would drag the truth from her of just how closely Caroline watched Klaus' schedule. "Considering how often you end up in my office, I certainly notice when it's suddenly _quiet_. Why are you here?"

Klaus leaned against the bar, tapped his fingers against the wood when the barkeep met his eyes. He smiled when two shots glasses were placed in front of him. Brow arching, he slid one in Caroline's direction. "Let's call it curiosity. A bit of a tequila girl?"

"Do you think you're charming?" She questioned, eyes narrowing.

A wicked flash of dimples, and he licked his hand before casually salting the wet skin. "Well that depends, sweetheart, has it worked?"

"No." Her stomach clenched at the quick swipe of his tongue, that flicker of his lashes. It was really unfair, how absurdly attractive Klaus was, dressed casually. She liked her job. It was ridiculous that her wolf had decided it wanted to eat Klaus in large, gulping bites.

Klaus shook the salt shaker, catching her attention. There was a note of challenge in his voice when he spoke. "I suppose I'll have to work on that."

It was never a good idea, to get into a staring contest with a werewolf. But Klaus' gaze was full of mischief, hot sparks of magic turning his gaze magnetic. Caroline had never made the mistake of thinking that because her predator had a shape, she was more dangerous than the witch standing next to her.

He drew her wolf like very few things had.

" _Have a nice night, Caroline."_

 _She fumbled with her keys, as she caught the faintest hint of spicy cologne and glanced up. She'd arranged for an extra day off, to run her wolf through the lands that MI owned for its supernatural employees' use. Wolves weren't the only creature that sometimes needed space. Caroline didn't run often there often, as she was no longer the only werewolf employed by MI. The new wolves were younger, and prone to challenging anything they could. Neither she nor her wolf had the patience for it._

 _But Elijah had approached her a few months ago with that disapproving frown. He'd informed her that while they respected her wish to avoid unnecessary dominance issues within the corporation, HR had put certain policies into place for a reason. MI understood that some wolves required a certain amount of privacy in order to run off their aggression, and that the rest of the company could survive her reserving one of their properties twice a year._

 _They'd argued about it._

 _She'd only lost because Klaus had stuck his head in mid-snarl and mildly offered to fly her to somewhere more private, if the other wolves were an issue. Then he'd smiled, all white teeth and dimples. Caroline had wanted to bite him. Teeth grinding, she'd turned down his offer, and acknowledged Elijah with a snarl._

 _She was still mad about it, to be honest._

 _It was both annoying and fascinating that her boss never flinched from any of his people's monsters. Not even hers, when she could clear a hallway with a glare. Her floor had been jumpy the past week and she'd no regrets._

 _So she was fully prepared to snarl at Klaus if he wore even the faintest hint of a smile. They'd been butting heads since he'd interfered in her argument with Elijah, and her agitation only seemed to delight him. The fact that he was powerful enough that she wasn't sure who'd win in a fight did nothing to calm her temper. But instead of smug, she glanced up to find him looking at his watch, expression a bit tired._

 _But the rest of him…_

 _Klaus in a tux was mouthwatering. His jacket fit beautifully along his shoulders and hips, the usual tumble of curls tamed. She'd see him in suits that fit perfectly, but this was the first time she'd seen him wearing this particular tuxedo. Her wolf lunged to the surface with such utter, clear demand that she'd almost dropped her purse. Instead, for the first time since she'd murdered her father in cold blood, Caroline fled._

And for two years, she and her wolf had been in a battle of wills where Klaus was concerned. Having him this close, outside the normal boundaries or work and wearing clothing that tempted her fingers to touch, Caroline didn't know how to feel. Scowling, she took the salt shaker, and choose to ignore the hot flash behind his gaze as she licked along her skin. The salt felt odd, and she picked up a lime wedge with an arched brow.

"Bottoms up."

Klaus' gaze never left hers as they went through the motions. The flush of heat in her chest had nothing to do with the liquor and her wolf wanted something far sweeter than lime. Licking her lips, she narrowed her gaze when he leaned close, catching the end of a loose curls between his fingertips.

"You know, Caroline," Klaus said as he pressed into her space. Caroline could smell the tequila and this close, the familiar scent of his skin and spice of his cologne threatened to go straight to her head. "I can feel your wolf."

She startled and then laughed at him. "No, you can't."

He lowered his gaze, skimmed his fingertip along the smooth silver of her cuff. "The witch who made this was talented. Who was she?

"A friend."

His lips quirked at the blade in her voice, and his gaze flickered back to hers. "A talented friend. But I know this spell sweetheart, and while it camouflages your lovely predator, I can feel when she pushes up against your boundaries."

It should've alarmed her. What Klaus was describing required a far more delicate magical awareness than he was credited with having. Instead, it interested every part of her predator that he'd not only noticed, but decided to _address_ it.

But Caroline had never made anything easy.

"Neat trick," she said coolly, brushing her hair back. "But there is a reason you followed me here to discuss magic?"

"How long have you worked for MI, Caroline?"

"Twenty years," she said. "As you well know."

His smile curve slightly wider at the bite in her tone. He seemed comfortable, so close that every breath brushed him along her body. In heels, they were nearly eye to eye and every part of her vibrated with agitation and arousal. She jolted, when his hand came up, thumb brushing along the flushed arch of her cheekbone.

"You've chosen no pack, remained a lone wolf. Twenty years is a long time for a wolf to go without making a claim, sweetheart."

Caroline showed him the edge of her teeth, knew without the containment spell her wolf would be clear in her eyes. It thrummed in her blood, wanting more of his touch. "That's none of your business."

"If it was that simple," Klaus murmured, voice low and rough. "I wouldn't be here. Neither would you."

It just wasn't in her to back down. "I'm still not sure why you're here _now_. As my boss, this is inappropriate."

He angled his head. "I'm hardly your boss, love. Elijah manages your numbers, and I've alerted my darling sister to my interest. However, we both know if you felt the least bit harassed, it wouldn't be an HR matter."

She'd bloody him. "Most people avoid my claws."

"So they do," Klaus agreed, but his eyes spoke more of curiosity and want than unease. Her wolf approved. "Tell me, Caroline, would you say we're friends?"

"No." The word was sharply abrupt, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, her continued irritation just seemed to amuse him. But whatever she had to describe this tug between them, it was hardly _friendship_.

"And I cannot call it merely lust," Klaus rumbled, eyes darkening. "So here I am. What goes on behind those eyes of yours?"

She pressed forward, until their breaths mingled with each breath. She gave up on the effort of not touching him, let her fingertips trace the length of his neck. Tongue snaking across her lips, she held his gaze. "Maybe I want your throat."

Klaus smiled slowly, eyes glittering. "I certainly hope so."

His words surprised her, as did the way he pressed flush against her stomach. Caroline's breath caught at the hard ridge of his erection, the way he seemed to breathe her in. His hand tugged at hers, until he could press his lips just above her cuff. "Would you take this off for me?"

Caroline let her gaze flit from his lips back to his eyes. "Is this a game to you?"

"I know the spell wrapped around you intimately because I was desperate for any hint that you'd noticed me," Klaus told her, fingers warm against her skin. "Any glimmer of hope."

"What?"

His head dipped, and they stared at each other. The corner of Klaus' mouth kicked up, and whatever he did to muffle the impact of his magic disappeared. Her breath caught, at the sudden intensity of his presence, the way the world muffled around them.

"You're impossible to ignore love, and I've put quite the effort into trying," his thumb brushed over the sensitive underside of her wrist, where she could still feel the imprint of his mouth and she shivered. "It was fine, when you worked three floors below, but even having Elijah so close would not have stopped me if you'd shown a flicker of interest."

His blunt honesty startled her, demanded the same honesty returned. She studied his eyes, looking for some hint of a falsehood, and found nothing. "Why say nothing?"

Klaus snorted. "I've said plenty, sweetheart, but you've been willfully blind. I'd nearly talked myself out of it, when Enzo suggested that maybe I was appealing to the wrong parts of you."

"Enzo?" She repeated, brows arching high. "You dislike Enzo."

"He's efficient," Klaus said coolly. "And he has his uses."

"I _like_ Enzo."

"As I'm aware."

The idea that his narrow eyed attitude with her friend was because of jealousy colored every interaction differently. Her wolf didn't mind that he felt territorial, because he'd never acted on it. Smart, because Enzo was hers. A little flicker of delight curled through her, and for the first time, Caroline seriously _considered_ Klaus.

The witch, not her boss.

Klaus must have sensed the faintest shift in her stance, and Caroline didn't complain when his fingers returned to her containment spell. The cool metal of her cuff slid off her skin, and his free hand reached up to skim along her chin. She shivered at the touch, watched his eyes darken as his pupils went wide. She felt her wolf study him, knew that her eyes had shifted with the spell no longer against her skin. His fingertips skimmed up along her cheekbone, and she tilted her head just a hair into his touch.

"You have beautiful eyes."

"My wolf wants you," she told him with the same bluntness he'd given her. There was no hiding that, not now. "It's been exceptionally frustrating."

Alert, his eyes studied her. "Why?"

"I like my job," Caroline told him. "I've never had a reason to consider fucking you worth the risk of losing it."

Klaus seemed more amused than offended. "And now?"

"Just because you have my wolf's attention doesn't mean you can keep it," Caroline murmured. Klaus showed her the edge of his teeth, dimples bracketing the danger of his smile.

"But Caroline, I'm not interested in just the wolf," Klaus warned her. "I want all of you."

Thoughtfully, she gave into her wolf's greed and let her fingertips skim along the curve of his mouth, until he nipped with his teeth, tongue velvet against the sting. She smiled with the predator under her skin, eyes Arctic blue.

"Make it worth my while."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	33. Chapter 33

**The Dance of Death**

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  romanoffsbite! Thank you so much for all the beautiful, _**beautiful**_ things you give this fandom. I didn't manage the Carenzo shenanigans, so next time!

* * *

 _Or do you hope, when sing the violins,  
And the pale candle-flame lights up our sins,  
To drive some mocking nightmare far apart,  
And cool the flame hell lighted in your heart? - Charles Baudelaire_

The first time Caroline saw Klaus Mikaelson after the fateful night he'd saved her from Tyler's bite was decades later. She was in Argentina, laughing as she danced in the streets. The humidity had turned her curls frizzy, dusk was turning into true evening, and the little festival in the town some miles outside Buenos Aires was delightful.

Caroline had learned to avoid most of the bigger cities over the years. Touristy didn't bother her, but those older, more dangerous vampires did. She now knew how to get a feel for them, would use the nightmares of her past to gauge their strength.

So she was caught completely off guard when she was intercepted mid-turn by hot skin and a scent she sometimes still dreamed about. Mouth running dry, she shifted her gaze up to find herself looking at the hybrid she knew from her fever dreams. His curls had fared better than hers, and the scruff along his jaw only emphasized the curve of his lips.

"Hello, Caroline."

She wouldn't flinch from the blade in his eyes. Her current tango partner, however; moved away with a quick apology after one searing glance. "Klaus."

"No smile for me?" Klaus questioned lowly as his hand settled against her hip, palm slipping beneath her stuff fingers.

"You tried to kill me."

Dimples deepening on either side of his smile, Klaus cocked his head to the side even as he adjust his grip. He pulled her closer, among the milling bodies, the masses around them oblivious to the unmoving monsters. "In fairness, I merely instigated the desire for Tyler to bite you. And I'd hardly call that attempted murder, sweetheart. Tyler could have fought off my suggestion."

"Yes," she bit out at the reminder of that night. Her words were low, and with the musicians beginning to softly play another song, she'd no fear of being overheard. "How did you phrase it? _Collateral damage?_ "

"Come now, Caroline, I apologized," Klaus chided as he ran his thumb along the bone of her hip before gliding his hand up her ribs to settle along her side. "However, I didn't approach you to dredge up the finer details of our past. At least, not yet."

Her body was hyper aware of his touch, the careful caress that burned through the thin material of her dress. "Lucky me. Why _are_ you here?"

The beat had caught a tempo, and the smile that widened on Klaus face had her heart lurching staccato in her chest.

"To dance, love."

She nearly stumbled that first turn. Her feet found their footing long before her brain caught up to the fact Klaus easily compensating for her lack of footwork. Her hands clutched at the firm muscle of his upper arm and the palm casually holding hers. The open embrace wasn't as intimate as it could've been while still being _too close_.

"Relax, Caroline," Klaus murmured, voice rich with amusement. "We both know if I was going to kill you, I'd have done so already."

Caroline glared up through her lashes. "Thank you, for your reassurance."

He chuckled, fingers tightening on her back the only warning she had before he pulled her closer, the soft curve of her breasts nearly brushing the line of his chest. Her eyes went wide, but Klaus was clearly no longer interested in talking as he walked her through increasingly complicated steps.

It was dangerous, to be pressed so close to Klaus Mikaelson. Her heart thumped in her throat her monster rested just beneath her skin. Every quick inhale as they completed another unexpected series of steps, brought the scent of his skin.

It was the most fun she'd had dancing in ages.

Caroline kept her gaze on his jawline, even as her body lost its defensive tenseness, so she saw the curl of his lips. She took each thump of the music as a challenge. If she concentrated on the rhythm and not who she was dancing _with_ , she could almost pretend she was flying.

They were nearly the same height with her heels, so when they eased to a stop as the crowds cheered around them, she was still close enough to feel his breath on her cheek. His eyes were blue now, with flecks of gold, and something behind his gaze set her nerves alight. Bringing their entangled hands to his mouth, Klaus kissed the underside of her wrist, a hint of teeth against the blue of her veins.

"Let me buy you a drink."

She jolted, blinking rapidly before shaking her head, trying to untangle their hands. "I think the dancing was _quite_ enough."

"Was it?" Klaus murmured. "How so?"

She stared at him, watching the lights reflect off the yellow in his gaze. "You killed Elena."

He released her finally, and clasped his hands behind his back, dimples on full display. "Hmmm. I killed a number of your townsfolk. The Lockwoods. Several Council members. The Salvatores. Not particularly the bloodiest I've left Mystic Falls, but a nice addition to its history."

Caroline had known of those deaths. Until her mother's passing, they'd talked, occasionally. Liz Forbes might've bargained with Klaus for her daughter's life, but that was as far as she'd been willing to go. It had hurt, that rejection as she'd found herself in Richmond with six hundred dollars to her name the dawn she'd nearly died.

Years later, her mother had told her about the bracelet that had been left for her. Hinted at the terror that had reigned through Mystic Falls before the Mikaelsons had disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. Now she'd danced with the same monster on cobblestone streets beneath the stars.

"I can't imagine what we'd have to talk about."

"No? I can think of several conversational topics," Klaus said, gaze never leaving her face. "It's been sixty years, love. Has vampirism been what you'd hoped, the night you choose life?"

He looked generally interested, and it confused her. She was no longer a baby vampire, but sixty years was hardly age. Pushing a wild curl away from her face, she narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"Why? Why not?" Klaus replied easily, as if the darkness of his gaze wasn't swallowing her whole. "Have you pondered how different your life may have gone, Caroline, if you had remained in that dreary little town?"

"Not in years," Caroline said carefully.

An arch of brow, but she stubbornly refused to elaborate. A low rumble that might have been a laugh, as his fingers caught her stubborn curl. She froze, at the soft tug against her scalp.

"I too, rarely think of Mystic Falls. But on occasion, retrospection is required. Your previous hometown is the place of some of my fondest triumphs. My broken curse, my little hybrid army, the death of Mikael. And tangled among those delightful details is one baby vampire who clung to life so strongly, as to accept monster's gift.

"Lucky me," Her voice was taut, mouth dry at the glitter behind his gaze.

"Quite so, actually. I've seen the inconsequential deaths of more than you can imagine, Caroline. Many despair. Others beg. Few, very few, stare back unflinchingly. To find such defiance, such determination in one so young was fascinating."

"That was sixty years ago."

His smile was terrifying, with the blade along its edges. "You all but called me a monster."

"You _are_ one."

A gentle pull against that curl. "So are you."

"Is that what you hoped to find?" She replied, holding his gaze. "Your blood might have given me life, but I am not you."

His hand twisted, as he wound the pale strands of her hair around his knuckle in the moonlight. "Have you wondered, Caroline, why none of your friends tried to find you? Why I never came after you?"

She went still, shoulders tight, as his gaze left her hair and returned to her face. She would not speak of years spent jolting at odd shadows, wondering if her past would catch up. "I thought we'd already discussed the fact that you'd killed the all."

"That," he murmured, "does not answer all of my question."

"As you said," Caroline said carefully. "I was just a baby vampire."

"What you are," Klaus corrected lowly, finally releasing her hair, fingertips brushing delicately down the line of her throat instead. "Is a golden fascination. One I'm intrigued to learn more about. Enjoy your time in Argentina, sweetheart. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

Just as suddenly, she was alone in the moonlight, breath catching in her throat.

 _Golden fascination._

She couldn't decide if that was promise or a threat.

* * *

 **Sky Fever**

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELEN! Thank you so much for making me so many pretty thiiiiiiiiiiiiings. I love them and you are such sweetheart. Hopefully you like this birthday present!

 _klarolinessecondbreakfast : So since I've been rereading the Guild Hunters series lately could you maybe do something canon but where Caroline is a mythical creature like a angel, succubus, or banshee or something like that? Like maybe it runs in her family and that's how her dad could resist compulsion? idk if that even remotely helps you lol and smut is optional but highly encouraged ;) and of course whatever your muse leads you to write will be excellent, so even if you don't use this I will be so happy with what you come up with! :D_

 _You knew that you must float  
From the sun above the clouds  
To the gloom beneath, from a world  
Of rarefied splendour to one  
Of cheapened dirt, close-knit  
In its effort to encompass man  
In death. - David Bourne _

Her dad liked to tell stories. As a child, she'd dreamed of fallen angels and their cursed wings, of the soaring into the sky. She chased clouds through endless pastures and ran as fast as she could before leaping those few, precious feet into the sky.

Those few seconds airborne were glorious. The trembling in her bones when her feet slammed back to earth, the rattling under her skin was worth ever weightless second. Skinned knees and bruised palms meant nothing.

Then, when she was seventeen, Caroline _died_.

* * *

New Orleans was a risk.

Caroline was the first to admit this was a stupid ass decision. Still, of all her options, scant and limited as they were, this was the best left to her. She took a deep breath, and glanced at her watch. Tried not to fidget.

She'd been in the city for thirteen hours.

Rumour said that Klaus was still in Europe.

The last time they'd spoken, he'd tried to coax to join him with promises of food and beautiful countryside. The wicked note as his voice deepened as he casually mentioned the sights, promised more than just visuals. Her skin prickled, at the thought.

Sometimes, Caroline couldn't decide if sleeping with him was the best decision she could've made or the worst. She still dreamed of the feel of him against her. The way they'd moved, his blood on her tongue.

His tongue… _everywhere_.

She took a quick sip of her water, tried not to flush as she shifted for entirely different reasons. She'd found herself thinking about those woods far too often, lately. She'd brushed it off as being lonely, and horney, a terrible combination for a vampire.

Regardless, Klaus being temporarily out of the country had given her a brief window of opportunity and she'd taken it. If Caroline was _exceptionally_ lucky, she'd get a curious, if testy phone call from the hybrid once she was back on the road. But she didn't really believe in luck. The best she could hope for was that Klaus had learned of her sudden appearance in New Orleans _after_ she'd set foot in the city.

Either way, her time was about up.

A flicker of lashes, as she glanced at the clock above the bar and she clenched her teeth in frustration. Her father's associate wasn't showing. She'd have noticed someone entering, as the dive was surprisingly empty on a Wednesday night. Not great for her need to blend in, but she'd be gone in an hour. She swore mentally, biting down on her lip and fighting her frustration.

This entire trip was turning out to be a bust. She needed to let Bonnie know where she was soon, needed to figure out her next move. Stephen had been of no use, had spoken in clipped tones when she'd called.

"I'm was sorry to hear about Liz, Caroline. But I sent anything related to your kind to her months ago. You can understand, why I don't want you here looking around. Drawing attention."

Maybe that was why she felt so off kilter lately. It wasn't just the way Stefan looked at her, since they'd turned it back on. It wasn't even the regret that sometimes threatened to choke her. Being an orphan _hurt_. Her bones ached with it sometimes, and now the friends she'd fought so hard for watched her with wary eyes.

Maybe she should cut her losses now, and just get out of dodge. Head home, decide what her next move was going to be. Talk to Bonnie about what she'd seen, how long the magic would hold. It was better than sitting in a dive bar, feeling sorry for herself.

Dropping a few ones as a tip, Caroline slipped off the barstool and headed for the door. Frustration left her grumpy, and she growled when the heavy wooden door opened, almost whacking her in the head. Narrowed eyes shifted to glare, and she froze at the man casually blocking her exit.

"Apologies, sweetheart. In a hurry?" Klaus questioned as he stepped through the doorway, shutting the door behind him. His gaze scanned her once, as if searching for injury, something relaxing in his shoulders once he was done.

"You must be freaking _kidding me_ ," Caroline groaned, arms crossing as she glared.

Klaus shifted to look a the room, gaze suddenly dangerous and magnetic. Her skin prickled, when he didn't bother didn't raising his voice to be heard. "Everyone out."

"Seriously?" Caroline ground out as the remaining occupants moved for an exist she hadn't seen. Figured. "You're being ridiculous."

Klaus arched both brows, hands clasped casually behind his back. "How so?"

She ran her fingers through her bangs in frustration, and tried not to ogle him. The slacks were a little wrinkled, the crisp lines of his dress shirt softened from travel. She'd seen Klaus in a suit before. Klaus rumpled, curls a little wild, with his sleeves rolled up his forearms really, _really_ did it for her.

The sudden spark in his eyes, the heat of his gaze, told he'd noticed. Ass.

"What, did you _flash_ from the airport?" Caroline gripped, changing the subject. There was no way that was going to be a safe conversational topic. Not when they both knew he'd dropped everything in Europe to return to New Orleans.

"Trying to avoid me, love?" Klaus drawled.

She gave him a flat look, at the silky edge to his tone. "Duh."

The blue of his eyes went dark, and his gaze narrowed a clear warning. Caroline ignored it. She _tried_ to ignore the way Klaus smelled as he deliberately stepped into her personal space. Failed.

"And why is that?" Klaus murmured, reaching for one loose curl. "Here I'd thought we're friends?"

Caroline swatted at his hand and stepped back, jaw set. "It's a personal matter, and you're nosey as hell."

A quirk of his mouth, although no true amusement reached Klaus' eyes. "Regarding you? Quite. Although I believe inquisitive is a much better term, love. Let's have a drink."

"Nope, can't, I've got plans."

This time, his gaze sparked with amusement, although he still made no move to let her around him to reach the door. There was zero point in trying to find the back exit. Not if he was in a _mood_.

"I'd be delighted to escort you."

"My rental car is twenty feet outside the door. I think I'll make it." She gave him a deliberately bright, sugary smile. "And I'll be leaving, immediately, so you know, thanks, but no thanks."

Klaus' head tilted forward, so that they were nearly eye to eye. "No."

"Excuse you?"

There was no give, behind his eyes or in his smile. "Why are you here, Caroline?

"I told you. It's _personal_."

He made a low, considering noise. "So personal, that you needed to schedule this little trip for when I was in Europe; you've decided to visit my city, alone. No witchy side-kick or that other vampire from your little menagerie."

He meant Enzo. She'd have taken offense to his tone, but that was directed solely at her. She hadn't seen Klaus since that day in the forest, and his expression told her just how unamused he was at her antics. Well, too bad. She hadn't asked him to fly over the ocean, had she?

"Yes," Caroline angled her chin and met his gaze head on. "If I'd wanted your help, I'd have mentioned it."

The edges of his iris bled yellow, at her challenge, but Klaus didn't shift so much as a muscle. "Would you have? Regardless, I'm here now. What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, sweetheart?"

Caroline growled and turned sharply on her heel, heading for the new empty bar. "Seriously, how did you even _get here_ so fast?"

"Private plane," Klaus said easily as he followed her. Caroline glowered at him as she uncorked a gin. He smiled, dimples cutting deep. "Rebekah was in quite the tizz, at my abandonment."

"You could've stayed where you _were_."

Klaus reached across her and snagged a bottle of bourbon, shrugging as he leaned against the bar; ignoring the stools on his side of the counter. "My favorite baby vampire, in my city under mysterious circumstances? Come now, love, I could hardly stay away."

That was both thrilling and a problem. Taking a swig from the bottle, she tried not to fidget at the way his eyes burned into her skin. Caroline hadn't thought she could keep her problem from him forever, she was just hoping to maybe avoid this conversation for a few more decades. A century. Maybe two. Give herself time to figure everything out, with a few years of denial added in for kicks.

Instead, she staring at Klaus years before she'd intended, and he was watching her with eyes that saw too much. That knew far too much. And, okay, it was technically her fault that they'd starting talking again, but she kind of couldn't regret it, even now. Post-flipping her switch, Caroline had needed someone who wouldn't judge her. Every other relationship in her life had been in tatters, some of them had yet to recover, and Klaus had answered his phone. She hadn't talked about her mom or her friends, or vampirism. She hadn't said much at all, but Klaus hadn't seemed to mind.

He'd seemed delighted, with each cautious call after that. Had let her set the tone and pace. Until today, she'd have said he was content with how things were between them. The burn in his eyes and the set of his mouth told her just how wrong she'd been on that front.

He'd flown across the ocean, because she might've needed help. Her stomach fluttered and she took another mouthful of gin. Complicated didn't begin to describe how she felt about any of this.

"Let's start with who you were meeting, shall we?" Klaus followed her example, calmly pulled from the bourbon. "The one who didn't show."

Her eyes swung back to his. "Have I mentioned how much I dislike the creepy spy thing?"

"Once or twice," Klaus replied, unperturbed. "And hardly creepy, love. The barkeep here belongs to me. He passed along a few bits of information. You seemed distracted, kept checking your watch. Choose to drink only water."

"To think," Caroline growled. "I tipped him."

Lips curling, Klaus leaned forward, eyes alight with sparks that hit her low in her stomach. Before he could speak, her spine locked up and the gin bottle slipped through her nerveless fingers. Klaus caught the bottle, alarm spreading across his face as she hunched over, fingers digging gouges into the bar, a pained cry escaping her.

" _Caroline_."

"It's fine," she gritted, sweat bedding across her temples, at the jagged pain. " _It's fine_."

Klaus made a noise she hadn't heard before, cleared the counter easily. The sweet scent of blood caught her attention, and she opened her mouth to tell him not to bother. Blood _didn't help_.

She didn't get the chance.

As soon as her lips parted, the bleeding wound was shoved between her teeth. It'd been hours since her last meal and Klaus always tasted so much better than anything else she'd tried. Her fingers shifted to grip his arm, and she hardly cared as he pulled her close, sliding to the floor. There was barely enough room for her, sitting sideways across his lap, and he immediately compensated by moving so that the bar acted as his backrest.

Her back spasmed, and Caroline twitched against him, unlatching her fangs. It took a moment, to blink her monster away, and by then his hand had shifted to her spine. The noise she made as his fingers dug into the protesting muscle was embarrassing, and she felt his surprise, but Klaus obligingly dug his knuckles a little deeper.

"Oh, God, right _there_."

"Caroline," Klaus murmured after a moment, voice rich and low. "As delighted as I'd be to let you sprawl naked across my sheets, skin slick with oil and my hands along your back, I believe I deserve a bit of an explanation first, hmm? Vampires do not have muscle spasms, love, particularly after a fresh meal."

Her muscles tensed further when she tried to bolt, but his arm slipped around her stomach, holding her to him. She could've tried to push Klaus off, but that would end up just being embarrassing. Instead, Caroline held herself stiff, and stayed stubbornly silent as her muscles protested.

Klaus' exhale was hot against her ear and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from shivering. "We can stay here all night, love. I've no issue with you on my lap. The clothes will take a bit of an adjustment, but I believe we'll manage."

She felt her ears heat, ground her teeth to keep from shifting along his thighs. Caroline didn't need proof of the erection he was sporting. Not when she could smell his arousal, now that her back wasn't seizing. Licking her lips clean, she couldn't help the tiny noise of delight that escaped her. Klaus hand flexed against her side, but he made no other movement.

" _Look_ ," she started, paused to swallow when her were words huskier than she'd intended. "I _said_ …"

"This is a personal matter," Klaus drawled, interrupting her. "Shall we take this conversation somewhere a bit more personal, then?"

Oh boy. His voice had gone low and dangerous, and she caught her lip as he glanced down at her. _Intent_ , didn't begin to describe the expression behind his eyes. Caroline swallowed hard, because the last time she'd seen that expression, he'd been between her thighs with wet lips.

Caroline shook her head. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"No?" He murmured, eyes dropping to trace her mouth. "If your reluctance to discuss what brought you to New Orleans is a matter of privacy, well, I'd be delighted to oblige you."

Tucked against Klaus and all his smooth muscle, the taste of him fresh on her tongue did nothing to cool her blood pressure. Her back ached, muscles twitching as they threatened to spasm and she let the pain spark her temper. Anything was better than letting the arousal between them build.

"Let go."

To her relief, he did as she asked, arm loosening around her middle and she scrambled off of him. Running shaking hands through her bangs, she startled as he stood next to her.

"Caroline."

She glanced at him with narrowed eyes, which only seemed to amuse him. There was a calculating gleam behind his eyes that made her nervous.

"We both know that I've give you the space that you've requested, that'd I'd every intention of continuing to keep my distance."

"Yes," she said slowly, not certain she knew or would like where Klaus was taking this. His lips curled and he moved forward, until he once again stood within touching distance.

"You were followed into the city, sweetheart," Klaus said and the softness left his tone entirely. "You're friends are accounted for in Mystic Falls, which means you've chosen not to involve them, or they aren't aware you're here."

"How do you know these things," Caroline demanded, irritation sharpening her tone. "Why do you know these things?"

"I believe we are both aware of the _why_ , Caroline, and as the how, I have my ways. Now, do you want to start at the beginning?"

She pursed her lips, studied him. "If I hadn't been followed…"

"We'd still be having this conversation," Klaus said in amusement. "As you said, I'm inquisitive."

"Unbelievable," Caroline growled, spinning on her heel to move around the bar and pace through the tables. Shoulders rolling, she tried to alleviate some of the pressure along her shoulder blades. She didn't realize how deeply her nails were digging into her palms until she caught the scent of blood.

"This is ridiculous," she finally griped, looking at the healing gouges on her palms. "Why couldn't you just have stayed in Europe?"

"I agree that the situation is odd. Why is the blood not helping? You move like you're still in pain, and I don't care for it."

Her eyes darted up, and the yellow tinge to his gaze did not help her wildly careening emotions. She threw up her hands, frustration turning her words sharp.

"I _don't_ want you to get involved. Why is that so hard to _understand_?"

She shivered, at the sudden blade of his smile, her shoulders going taunt as her monster crawled to the surface in response. Just that quickly, his fingertips were smoothing across her chin, his eyes hot with temper.

"Neither of us are leaving this bar until you talk, sweetheart," Klaus said softly. "Unless, of course, you'd like to take this discussion back to my home?"

Caroline felt her eyes bleed black with temper, and just that quickly, she lost what little control she'd been subconsciously maintaining. Her knees hit the floor with a thud, and she scrambled for something to hold onto as pain left her vision fuzzy. Klaus crouched in front of her, his hands holding her up when she would have fallen straight to the floor.

"Caroline," he rasped, eyes hybrid gold. "Where do you hurt?"

"I need to take my shirt _off_ ," she gasped out. She made a noise of complaint as her shirt disappeared, felt him tense as he took in her back. Caroline lurched forward to press her face into his shoulder, hands gripping his forearms tightly as she lost the battle she and Bonnie's magic been fighting.

It hurt.

 _God, it hurt_. Crying out, she shuddered against Klaus in pain. Caroline was wet with sweat, when the worst of the pain finally eased. She smelled his blood, knew her nails had dug in deeply. She was panting, shaky in ways she couldn't describe and so _thirsty_.

"I need a blood bag," she croaked, wobbling a little as she tried to balance herself. Klaus hadn't moved. Caroline knew breathing wasn't something he needed to do, but the absolute stillness to him left her feeling shy and uncertain. Carefully, she pulled back enough to peer up through her bangs and his face was utterly blank.

She swallowed. "They don't look that bad do they?"

His gaze dropped to hers and her lungs locked up at the desire she found there. Yellow ringed the blue of his iris, pupils blown wide, and nothing about his expression suggested _indifference_. His eyes tracked the motion of her mouth as she bit her lip. Her next exhale was shaky.

"You have wings."

The gravel in his voice had her gut clenching and she opened and closed her mouth, flushing when she couldn't find her words. Klaus' lips curled upwards, fingers lifting to stroke down the curve of her cheek.

"Such pretty pink," Klaus said lowly. She'd have been irritated by the smugness, but her gaze caught the rust staining his wrist, and her eyes darkened. Klaus' breath hitched at the sight. Emotions a tangled mess, Caroline went to move away, but he caught her hip, holding her. "You're hungry."

"I…"

His thumb brushed across her mouth, silencing her wavering voice. Gaze gleaming, he smiled with sharp teeth as he took her in. "Oh no, sweetheart. Time for dodging has come to an end, hmm? I think we will take this conversation to my home, where you will explain how this came about, and then I'll feed you."

Her breath caught, at the way his voice deepened at the word feed, at the promise in his eyes. Her mouth ran dry and his smile widened, gaze shifting back to the expanse of feathers she hadn't been brave enough to look at just yet.

"And, love, we've quite a few topics to discuss. I'm quite looking forward to it."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	34. Chapter 34

**Slice of Life**

For she-walked-away!

* * *

Caroline slunk as low as she could manage into the booth. The diner was super quiet at God-only knows what time it was, but that was fine with her. She was exhausted. She had six months left for her residency, and right then, she was seriously regretting her life choices.

Head tipping back, she stared up at the ceiling. All she needed was enough caffeine in her bloodstream to make the fifteen minute drive home, and she could crash for a blissful eight hours. Maybe ten, if she put her cat's food bowl down before passing out.

Her contemplation of at least rinsing off the hospital smell before bed was interrupted by the clinking of plates on her table, something brushing against her foot. Chin lowering, she stared blankly at the man who was taking up the space across from her. Rumpled curls, jaw and cheeks scruffy from a long day, Caroline blinked slowly when he pushed a piece of pie in her direction.

She knew his face, had nearly swallowed her tongue the first time he'd stormed down a hallway in her direction. Unfortunately, she knew him mostly through the colorful obscenities the nurses used to describe him, had never been introduced. It was a pity that his reputation as an unmitigated ass seemed to be so well deserved.

"Eat."

Brows bunching, she blamed the exhaustion for her next few words. "You're the dick from radiology."

Instead of taking offense, she discovered he had dimples when he smiled. "I am."

Caroline knew she looked befuddled, but there was no helping that. "You made what's-her-name cry."

Amusement deepened the faintest creases at the corners of his eyes. "Incompetence is inexcusable, particularly those who are in last year of their fellowships. I don't have time to coddle insecurities. Your pie is getting cold."

"Why do I have pie?" Caroline asked, gaze lowering to the large slice that had been plopped in front of her. He'd gotten her cherry.

"Why not?"

Cautiously, she picked up her fork and scooped a bite. He was right, it was warm and gooey, slathered in whip-cream, and her stomach woke up. Caroline was halfway through her slice when she realized he'd stopped eating and was just watching her.

"What?" She questioned, tongue snaking across her lip. "I like pie. Also, why are you being nice? The nurses call you Satan."

When they were being nice. Bonnie had once turned the air blue, with her word choices. Caroline had taken mental notes.

"Do they? How unoriginal," He seemed unperturbed by the faint accusation in her voice. "Satan probably has more fun than I can claim to enjoy."

She took another bite to hide her grin. "If not Satan, what should I call you?"

"Klaus," he said, smile widening. "You're Caroline."

The last bite was a bit of a disappointment. As curious as this flip of behavior was, exhaustion had only been staved off for a short window. Setting her fork down, Caroline considered him.

"Well, Klaus, thank you for the pie."

"You're welcome," he murmured, eyes tracking over her tired face. "Get some rest, love."

It wasn't until she'd fallen face down into bed, that she admitted that she might have misjudged Sir Grumps A Lot. Klaus was certainly still a dick, but there might've been a thin layer of squish there, too. Regardless, this curious new intrigue would have to wait.

If her dreams were filled with a particular accent that night, that wasn't anyone's business but her own.

* * *

 _ **Kiss Me Again**_

goldcaught: kc + circa s3 caroline manning the kissing booth at the spring carnival & klaus reacting and responding :))))))) does he wait patiently in line for his turn calmly plotting the casual murder of everyone before and after him, does he kill them all EN ROUTE leaving her line frustratingly empty oNLY YOUR DRABBLE WILL TELL

Kissing Klaus Mikaelson was the very last thing Caroline had thought possible when she crawled out of bed that morning. But she was and it was _good_. Nails digging into the nape of his neck, fingers tangled tightly in his collection of necklaces, she licked into his mouth with a soft moan.

Klaus made a rough, low noise in the back of his throat, and she heard his hands flex against the wood between them. Felt him shudder beneath her mouth, and the arousal coiling tightly in her belly was heady. Klaus didn't dominate the kiss, mouth and tongue shifting to meet each shift of angle, each hot stroke of hers.

She pulled back, when her lungs burned. Sucking in a desperate breath, she stared at him with wide-eyes as his lashes parted, a band of hot yellow circling the darkness of his pupil. Deliberately, he ran his tongue across his lips, chest rumbling against her breasts, and she shivered.

She wasn't even supposed to be at the kissing booth. For some inexplicable reason, it seemed to escape her current minions/fellow students/the prom committee that this carnival needed to be perfect. Prom wasn't going to fund itself.

The kissing booth was not even Caroline's idea.

She'd said no. They needed to make money for prom. A kissing booth was the very last thing she wanted to deal with. Bake sell, fine. Dunking booth? It was perfectly acceptable to dunk both guys and gals in white t-shirts as far as she was concerned. But somehow - somehow! - she'd been outvoted. And she was pretty sure a vampire who was not her had compelled the principal into agreeing.

So she had the kissing booth to deal with, on top of everything else today. And honestly, was it too much to ask that this one thing go right without becoming an unmitigated disaster? She had charts. She'd color coordinated said charts to assist those who struggled with reading comprehension.

Then Elena had failed to show up, and Caroline had been forced to do necessary shuffling. Finding herself manning the kissing booth station as they waited for the second volunteer to arrive, Caroline had found herself staring at Klaus Freaking Mikaelson.

He'd baited her. She'd snarled. Klaus' presence had emptied the line that had started to form, and her irritation had only seemed to amuse him. Her attempts to ignore his softly murmured teasing had failed spectacularly, and if there was one thing she absolutely refused to do, it was to hand her station over to someone else having earned nothing.

So she'd kiss him.

It'd been easy, to tilt forward, mouth pressing against his parted lips as he'd leaned forward to taunt her, hands pressed between them. She'd intended to go in for a quick peck, demand her money and shoo him off.

Instead, she'd lingered.

And now Caroline was staring at Klaus, who'd flushed cheeks and kiss-wet lips. Swallowing, she tried to unwind from him. "That'll be five bucks."

She stilled, as his hands came up and caught her wrists. Lips curling, eyes bright and wicked, his gaze dropped to her lips. "Let's make it ten, shall we?"

Her protest died in her throat, as Klaus's lips slid against hers. There was nothing passive about this kiss, as he took exactly what he wanted from her mouth. Her nails dug into his skin until she smelled blood; aching breasts pressing against the hard line of his chest as best she could. He rewarded her with teeth and tongue, until her head spin and she was moaning into his mouth.

It wasn't Elena gasping her name in shock that had her returning to reality, or even Stefan sharply repeating her name. It was the scrap of blunt teeth as Klaus pulled back, the brush of his thumb underneath her wrist as he let her go. The absolutely sinful glitter of his gaze, as he bid her good luck with the rest of the carnival.

Her skin prickled, her lips burned and the taste of him lingered on her tongue. Caroline didn't have to look, to see the blood beneath her nails as she leaned against the wall of the booth. She'd made out with Klaus.

She really, really wanted to do it again.

* * *

 **Paint Me in Reds**

 _I swear, I had an anon prompt for this drabble. But I cannot find it for the life of me. So, this a what-if, based on the idea that Caroline's idea of stuffing Klaus into Rebekah was actually used._

 _Warnings; UST. Some nudity. No Porn._

This was not how Caroline had expected things to go. Okay, so maybe she should have expected Klaus to have a million back up plans but this? Klaus freaking Mikaelson was stuffed inside Rebekah's body like an Edgar-suit, and he seemed perfectly chill about it.

Granted, he was blackmailing the shit out of Bonnie, had ripped out Hayley's heart and Tyler had ran like his proverbial tail was on fire. But seriously. It was really, really creepy the way he was still… Klaus, behind Rebekah's eyes.

He also apparently decided that as a boy in a girl's body, he'd permission to be in the girl's locker room. Granted, she might be the only person who knew she was he, but that didn't make it okay. And it really wasn't okay how he watched her. She didn't quite dare change using vampire speed, but she'd gotten close earlier. All the while Klaus-in-the-Rebekah-suit stood there was dimples and curling smile, all but bare from the waist up.

There were going to be _rumors_.

"Will you stop that?" She growled under her breath, knowing fully that he could hear her just fine. Years of changing on bus had taught her how to shimmy her bras on and off without showing a hint of skin, but she hated feeling hunted.

"Why?" Klaus returned, brow lifting in an expression that was disturbingly Rebekah yet, not. "This was your idea, wasn't it, love?"

She regretted it immensely, too. Grinding her teeth, she reached for her bag to rifle for a shirt that wasn't sweat soaked and gross. Soft breasts pressed into the line of Caroline's spine and she sucked in a breath to cover the hitch in her breathing. "You are not trying to seduce me in your sister's body."

"You know, sweetheart, I feel I've been more than generous in my dealings with you." Klaus murmured against the fall of her braids. One slender hand settled on her hip, thumb tracing below her ribcage, but he made no other move to touch her. "I've allowed Tyler's continued existence; taken your wishes into consideration, if you will. And here you've stuffed me into Rebekah with nary a thought to my sisters well being."

Caroline turned, teeth bared and froze as she realized just how negligible the difference in height was now that She was going toe to toe with, well, Rebekah. Klaus pressed forward, so that he stood between her legs, the smooth line of their abdomens pressed tightly together, the hot curve of breasts swaying into each other.

Like this, he smelled different, the wildness of his arousal softened. The hunting smile was the same, even on fuller lips, the blue of her eyes hinting black and red instead of gold. Momentarily derailed, she stuttered on her words.

"You want to _kill Elena_."

Swaying closer still, Klaus hummed a pretty note, nose sliding up the side of her throat. "I'm going to drain every drop of the doppelganger's blood. Then I'm going to mete out revenge for this little stunt; break a few bones, rip out a heart or two."

She hissed, shifted to push Klaus away, and fangs pierced her skin. Shuddering, Caroline gasped at the unexpected pain, the easy way Klaus pushed her into the lockers. She didn't expected the surge of arousal, as soft fingers skimmed up her thigh, hips jolting as careful fingertips skimmed lightly along her damp underwear, before retreating entirely.

Head lifting, Klaus watched her from behind Rebekah's eyes as he sucked fingertips between bloody lips. The sound he made was pleased, and dark lashes fanned pale cheeks as he blinked. "We'll revisit this discussion sweetheart, once I've returned to my body. I'm sure Rebekah will have an opinion or two, and I've been known to indulge her whims on occasion."

Klaus left her there, tugging on Rebekah's jacket, unconcerned that he was only mostly decent as he left. Heart hammering with alarm and horrifyingly, arousal; Caroline sank to the floor. Klaus had been very certain he'd return to his body, and soon. His words had been a threat and a promise, the purr in his voice hinting at exactly what he meant by _whims_.

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	35. Chapter 35

**Walk This Way**

 **justanotherfiveminutes : They should go to Piran. (So this was from a conversation, and not a request, but here you go. Hope your day gets better!)**

* * *

Caroline couldn't have told you how she ended up in Piran, Slovenia. It was like waking up from a fog. She'd been standing on campus, listening to Bonnie complain about professors and something Damon had said, and it had jolted through her, this need to just go. Looking at her friend, the realization that everything around her was changing faster than she could follow while her life was standing perfectly still shook her.

It was like she couldn't breathe.

She hadn't even bothered to pack a bag. She'd called her mom from JFK, left a voicemail and compelled herself the first ticket into Europe she could find. From there she'd caught the first train that looked interesting, and found herself hopping from station to station, eyes drinking in the countryside. There was no particular reason for the stops she'd chosen, other than finding places she'd never heard of before.

Until she'd found herself in Venice. She'd been tempted by the city, the guidebooks at the station, but had hesitated. Venice was too well known, a place she might be expected to visit. Lip caught between her lip, she noticed a sign for a ferry.

Six weeks later, she was still in Piran. The moment she'd stepped off the boat, she'd fallen in love. Old fashioned, with narrow streets, the moment she'd set foot on the shore overlooking the Gulf, something inside her had settled. She attended music festivals, struggled with speaking Italian and Slovene.

Which was why she was not happy to see Klaus. Of all the cities in Europe, she was not amused to discover him here. It's been years since she'd seen him - naked and flushed, curls ruined from her hands, lips red and wet - and seeing him here jarred her. He hadn't seen her yet, his face set in annoyed lines as he listened to a phone call.

She almost walked away.

The ferry wasn't schedule for that afternoon, but there was an airport. Foot lifted to slid back into the alley she'd walked out of, she paused. She hadn't spoken to anyone from Mystic Falls in weeks, not even her mom. The odds we're absolutely minuscule that any of her friends would call him to tell him she'd done a runner.

So why was he here?

The curiosity would drive her crazy.

Biting back a snarl of frustration, she moved towards him instead of away. The closer she got, the more curious she became. He looked the same, but there was an ease to his posture she'd never seen before. She reached him as he put away him phone, just as his head came up, brows coming together as he caught her scent.

"Seriously, you better be here for reasons that will not screw with my vacation. I was here first."

His head came up, and Caroline had the satisfaction of seeing him unguardedly startled. That didn't last long, Klaus' lips curling upwards with a smile that hit her in her bones.

"Caroline, this is a delightful surprise. How are you, sweetheart?"

She ignored the rumble beneath his words, the way his tongue locked across his lower lip as he took her in. "Vacationing. Why are you here?"

Amusement didn't cover the admiration, that hint of lust, but it brightened his eyes. "On a bit of a research mission, nothing particularly interesting or that won't hold."

She eyed him for a moment and finally nodded. "Okay then."

Dimples creasing his cheeks, he stepped in front of her, preemptively halting her exit. "Are you alone on this vacation?"

Caroline weighed her options. Odds were in her favor that she could wrangle him into buying lunch. Klaus had always had interesting things to say, and now that he was here, she was curious.

"Yes," she said finally, watching satisfaction turn his gaze dark. "I'm not sure how long I'll be staying."

Hands clasped behind his back, he made a thoughtful noise. "How long have you been vacationing?"

"Six weeks," Caroline said easily, ignoring that flash in his eyes. If he'd had people who were supposed to be reporting her movements, they were going to have words. "You been here long?"

"Arrived yesterday," he replied. A sudden breeze sent her curls swinging across her face and it was Klaus who pushed them back. "It's been some time since I've visited this particular city, love. I'd be delighted to hear how you've enjoyed it."

Caroline shivered, as his fingers grazed her ear. The sparks in his eyes told her he'd caught the movement, but she wasn't going to comment. "Fine. You may buy me lunch. And if any of my stories involve people on your hit list, you waIt until I leave before eating them, deal?"

His chuckle was low, gaze lingering on the pulse in her throat. "Deal. Since I've suddenly found myself with a bit of free time, perhaps you wouldn't be adverse to some company?"

An offer that was dangerous. But one she found herself tempted by. Deciding she'd see how things went, she shrugged one shoulder. "That'll depend on how entertaining you are at lunch."

His smile shifted to something wicked, and she knew that it wouldn't take much to talk her into spending time in his company. Or his bed.

"How can I refuse such a challenge?"

She threaded her arm through his and found herself really smiling for the first time in weeks.

* * *

 **Anonymous asked: Fae or dragons :-)**

Her ex-husband was glaring at her from her kitchen floor. Fingers curled tightly along the hand of her grandma's cast iron skillet, Caroline bared her teeth when he shifted. It was to touched the side of his face, and underneath his temper, might have been the smallest of smirks.

She was tempted to hit him again. "What are you doing here, Klaus?"

"Iron, love?" He rotated his jaw, a hiss sliding between his teeth and she didn't feel even the tiniest bit of guilt, thank you very much.

"You surprised me," Caroline rasped. His brows arched, gaze slowly sliding down her body. She was wearing a t-shirt and socks, little else. "Why are you here? We're divorced. I left you the house and half of our shared account."

Klaus pushed to his feet, eyeing her tightening grip. He studied her, gaze strangely serious. It rattled her, seeing him. He'd disappeared after their last big fight, her fury at finding out about the pointed ears and magic had not gone over well. She'd have divorced him on the grounds of fraud if she'd been able to explain it to a judge. Instead, she'd gone through two years of paperwork with bitten nails. He'd never showed.

"Yes, I've recently learned about that," Klaus said, voice taut with temper. "I'd have had a few words on the subject, had I been here."

"It took you three years to figure out I was divorcing you?" Caroline ground out.

"My family problems were a bit more complicated than a normal Fae," Klaus dismissed. "But that has been dealt with and here I am."

"You didn't even leave me a note!" She snarled.

"Not by choice," He replied, voice softening.

Caroline shook her head, jabbing in his direction with the skillet. "I don't care. We're divorced. You dropped that whole I'm-Not-Human card and then disappeared, for three years. I'm done."

She couldn't describe the look on his face. Possession and frustration, a mixture of fondness and an absolute stubbornness that raised that hair on the back of her neck. Hands moving to clasped behind his back, he hit her with a look that made her regret the lack of a bra immensely.

"My apologies, love, but Fae magic is a bit tricky. It takes the death do us part a touch seriously. Human courts have little jurisdiction in such matters."

Her temper flared at his arrogance, the biting temper in his voice.

Words inarticulate, she swung at him again.

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	36. Chapter 36

**Prompt: if you're writing drabbles, how about something to do with succubus!caroline?**

Caroline remembered being human. She remembered the pain of her death on a Spring Break gone wrong, the low chanting of witches as the knife plunged into her chest over and over, the burn of salt and ash. The way moonlight had turned their blood black and sweet, when she'd woken with a voracious hunger and claws.

Becoming a demon wasn't all bad. Caroline had always liked sex, had enjoyed the games played to get it. She liked being the aggressor, knowing that she was the predator now.

Predictably, she wasn't particularly fond of witches. So when she felt that first shift in the air that spoke of magic, she started hunting. For all that witches had created her, few expected her to hunt them. Male or female, her appetites didn't discriminate. Death or sex fed her easily, and tonight she had death on her mind.

The last witch she'd killed had cried. Caroline wasn't much for tears, she preferred other more volatile emotions on her tongue. She was considering all the ways she could inspire the correct cocktail of feelings, when she caught sight of the witch.

And more importantly, who she was with.

Vampires.

Caroline had bedded one or two in her decades of living, found them fun. Particularly, their stamina. Most humans were a delicious meal, but a vampire was a banquet. A little blood for payment of services rendered, and she could toy with them for hours, wrap them up in whatever sexual haze she'd chosen, and by morning she was deliciously sated, the grinding need in her bones quieted.

But vampires were also possessive, and she'd no wish to interfere with their games. Sighing in disappointment, she blinked when one of the vampires looked up. A tumble of curls, intense blue eyes, his gaze locked curiously with hers. Caroline was impressed. Very few, even among the undead, realized her otherness. Unlike folklore suggested, she hardly smelled of sulphur, and what she carried beneath her skin hid along her marrow.

But those eyes were old and curious, a delicious hint of greed as his gaze dragged down her skimpy outfit. His interest caught the table's attention, and she saw the witch start, heard her murmured warning.

Succubus.

Her lips curled, and she lifted her fingers to wave at the uneasy witch, let a hint of her truth show in her eyes. Caroline was startled by the flash of heat, that burning curiosity shifting to something far more blatant. Amused, curious herself, she gave a moment to study that handsome face before turning and walking away.

If she put a little more sway into her movements, all that was her business. She felt eyes on her as she hinted, her body and scent a lure. She only glanced back once, fingers curled through her choice of dinner, to find the vampire watching her with glittering gold sparks in his eyes.

Mischief rode her, and she dropped her perfect facade. Smiled at him with her delicate fangs, the endless black of her eyes before turning away. The skin between her shoulder blades burned even after the door to the club shut behind her.

* * *

 **kc + accidental bed-sharing + "oops, how do I tell you I have a tail/scales/wings neatly tucked under my clothes". Pretty please :) ?**

Klaus still thought she was human. An interesting one he couldn't compel but nothing more than curious anomaly. Caroline had intended to keep it that way for a very, very long time.

But all that was about to go down the toilet. Teeth grinding together, she stared at the door in front of her and generally wished she could burn it down. Bonnie has locked her in this room with Klaus, and from everything she'd heard muttered outside the door, they were taking Elena and running. Leaving her to be the sacrificial lamb in their wake.

For the first time in her life, Caroline understood why her ancestors ate people.

"I hope you understand, sweetheart, that not even your delightful entreaties will save your friends once were free."

Caroline compressed her lips and refused to answer. The sun had set, the chill of a fall evening had settled over the house, and the air conditioning was a hum against her ears. She clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering. Before her dad's death he'd assured her that it was only a temporary side effect of her growing. Caroline was fine with hot baths and crawling beneath the covers, but she was dreading this winter.

She blinked when Klaus was suddenly in front of her, staring down at her from where she sat on the bed. There was rage behind his eyes, a tangible brush of danger, but it wasn't directed at her personally.

"Nothing to say?"

"Nope."

Those pretty eyes narrowed, gold bleeding into blue, but whatever biting comment he planned to deliver died as she shivered at a draft. He blinked, eyes glancing around the room before returning to her unhappy face. "Cold?"

"No."

Both brows arched upwards and Klaus studied her. "Lying doesn't suit you."

She glared mutinously back and he shook his head, amusement curling his lips. Instead of immediately commenting, his gaze shifted to take stock of their prison. Their mattress was bare, a single fitted sheet streak across the bed. There was a small bathroom attached, which her bladder appreciated, but no real supplies.

"I don't believe your friends thought much of your comfort."

"They locked me in here with you."

"Point. Scoot."

"What?"

"As minimal as the change in temperature, your lips are turning blue. We don't know how long they intended to trap us, and what use are you as a snack if you're frozen?"

Caroline scrambled back as he approached her and she shook her head. "I'm fine."

She could have sworn he nearly rolled his eyes, and then the searing heat of his fingers wrapped around her wrist left her gasping. Klaus froze, brows tucking together, and his fingers moved slowly against the unnatural roughness of her skin. She worried her lip as those ancient eyes returned to her face.

"I believe you've been keeping secrets," he said lowly, and her breathing hitched as he moved to cup her cold fingers between his. She shivered, as the hybrid heat of him sank into her frozen hands. "What are you changing into, Caroline?"

Miserable, bare toes curled under her, she glared at him. "You wouldn't believe me."

A hint of a smile. "Try me."

She promised herself that one day, she'd eat one of the Salvatores whole, regardless of the inevitable indigestion. Her teeth were chattering in earnest now, and she hated that her body's way of acclimating to her beast was to temporarily turn her cold blooded.

Klaus smiled slowly at her, dipped his head to inhale the scent of her skin. "Your disguise is nearly perfect. You smell human, even now, with the texture of your skin beneath my fingers. Are these tiny scales? Tell me what you are Caroline, and I'll let you have whatever you need."

Her tone was mulish when she finally answered him. "Dragon."

The utter delight of his expression startled her, but was soon dismissed for more pressing matters. Klaus didn't seem to mind as she burrowed into him, obligingly lying on his back, so she could curl around him, toes sliding beneath the denim of his Jean clad legs.

"This might be better if we were naked," he drawled, fingers trailing down the nape of her neck. She grunted a negative response, and he laughed. Caroline had no doubt his mind was whirling, questions and plots forming in his agile mind. She supposed she could forgive him that, when he was being so obliging as her own personal space heater.

Caroline had little intention of sharing any additional information with him, not when she was still so vulnerable. It would take years before she'd finished growing, could reasonably expect up hold her own against him. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, she cuddle with a nightmare and worry about the rest later.

Probably fantasizes out the way Damon would scream as she tossed into the air, jaws opened wide.

* * *

 **A prompt for your mini-drabbles: C:"I took a calculated risk!" K:"Which proves that you didn't just skip your geometry lessons, you're simly bad at math!" (Go in whichever direction feels right ㈴2 )**

Caroline throw the vase at his stupid, smug face. She relished the way his eyes widened as he sidestepped, and she bared her teeth at him. She'd known this was a terrible idea. Stupid British agents who felt like their accent and preference for tea left him superior.

"That was expensive."

"It's a goddamn pity it didn't hit you in the face."

His smile was mocking. "Well, Agent Forbes, it appears you do have a temper after all."

She growled at him, and the smugness vanished from his face. "I did my part of this stupid mission. May I suggest you now do yours? The sooner we get done the sooner I. An pretend that you do. Not. Exist."

Something like a challenge flared in those blue eyes she been stupid enough to admire. "You believe I'm so easily forgotten?"

Caroline dragged her furious gaze down the gloriously lean lines of him, lingered at the strength of his shoulders. Shrugged. Lied through her teeth. "What's memorable?"

Spinning on her heel, she ignored the sharp pain in her arch, fingers grilling her heels tightly. She didn't slow, at his lowly murmured challenge, determined to ignore the ass.

"We'll have to see about that, sweetheart."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	37. Chapter 37

**Klaus meets Caroline during season 2 but she's human...only she's not as nearly docile as her hoards of friends think ;)**

Caroline chewed on her thumbnail, and stared at the unconscious man she'd left on her front porch. Her daddy had told her to never trust a man who promised he wasn't a serial killer and her momma had told her to never trust men. Her sex education speech had been short and quick.

"Baby girl, men are wolves. Keep your legs shut."

She hadn't gotten around to telling her mom about Tyler. Or telling Tyler she knew about his little fur problem. Probably for the best, as no one thought she'd be able to take care of herself. It usually worked in her favor, honestly. She liked being underestimated.

In the creepy serial killers defense, he probably hadn't expected the shotgun to catch him in the face or for her to shoot him in the chest. But she'd found her dad's journals years ago, and while she'd worried about possible insanity (was that genetic?) the whole softly worded order to open the door and to invite him in with blown pupils had decidedly spoken of vampire.

So she'd taken a chance and shot him.

The almost throwing up at the gore, she planned to keep to herself.

Now those blue eyes were fluttering open, and they looked pissed. Scowling right back, she held up the ring he'd been wearing between her fingers, the shotgun clutched carefully in the other.

"So, compelling teenagers is icky and rude. If you want this back, I think we're going to need to work out a deal."

* * *

 **When Klaus heals Caroline the first time, she takes her new lease on life and leaves Mystic Falls of her own volition. He's intrigued, but there are bigger fish to fry - until Liz refuses to help him when Caroline stops calling (Liz blackmailing Klaus is my ultimate dream, and she's worried, okay?). So, he has to track her down wherever she is in the world, and hijinks ensue. Does this help? :D**

Caroline was willing to admit, very privately, that the mental freak out that she'd had hadn't been the best decision of her life. So after a month or so of avoiding the people who'd have known she was having a crisis, she called her mom. And hadn't that been a fun conversation?

Her mom hadn't gone to her friends with her concerns, but Klaus-Freaking-Mikaelson. The vampire who'd killed Elena, who'd turned Tyler into a hybrid, who's slotted Caroline as pawn on his mental chessboard. And whatever her mom had been helping Klaus with was important enough that he'd actually agreed to track her down.

"He wasn't gracious about it, baby. But I imagine he'll how up sooner or later."

Her mom being so nonchalant about basically blackmailing Klaus into hunting for her had left her flabbergasted and angry. She'd dreamed of his blood on her tongue, woken sweating from the remembered pain of Tyler's bite. Sometimes her dreams mingled the pain and looming death with Damon attacking her, and Caroline had gotten good at not sleeping.

She blamed all these things for her initial reaction to Klaus popping up days after her phone call. Her instinctual response had been to attack, and somehow Mr. Paranoid-Thousand-Years-Smarter-Than-You had been caught off guard. And she'd been left with a pile of temporarily dead hybrid in her hotel room.

She'd written him a note, strongly recommending that he remove the stick up his ass and go back to playing legos with people, because she was fine, her mom knew she was alive, bye. Pinned it to his chest. Hightailed her ass out of Amsterdam like it's been lit on fire.

He'd shown up in Rome and swiped her gelato. In London he'd slid into her carriage at the Farris Wheel and spent the ride critiquing her life chooses. By the time he turned up at the club she was at in Hong Kong, he'd made a nuisance out of himself in a dozen countries and spent five years pissing her off.

Not once had he offered to kill her. He'd alluded to all sorts of things (most of them dirty, a fair number of them cropping up in her dreams) but the threat she felt from Klaus wasn't particularly of the life threatening nature. In Barcelona he'd even pulled her out of that bar fight.

It was the only possible explanation for why she was kissing him. They'd been arguing over something ridiculous, it hardly mattered when he was quite willing to use his viper tongue for more than barbs. The heat of his hands crawling under her top was good too, the harsh noise in his throat when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra was as arousing as the way he toyed with her nipples. He was hot and hard, teeth a scrap down her lip, and her head pushed against the wall at her back and she tried to recall all the reasons this was a bad idea.

But as Klaus slotted a thigh between her legs and ground against her, his words rough praises against her skin, Caroline decided to let the rough beat of the bass and Klaus skillful everything sweep her away.

She had a ticket to Tokyo for tomorrow, anyway.

She wondered if he spoke Japanese.

* * *

 **kc + MONSTER KLAUS and journalist caroline known for investigating the bizarre :)))**

The apartment was dark and dank, and it smelled faintly of old beer and fish. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she glared at the broad back of the man digging through her purse.

"This place is disgusting."

A pair of amused blue eyes glanced back at her, and she kept her face set in mulish lines. She was lucky her throbbing ankle was enough of distraction, because complete and utter dick-waffle or not he was a stupidly attractive one that her body liked.

Most Chaos Demons were delicious, after all.

"It's not supposed to be romantic, love."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, is this where you leave the bodies until they can be disposed? It certainly smells like it."

An arched brow, a gorgeous smirk, and he was back to digging through her purse.

"Would it help if I knew what you were looking for?"

"Your recorder didn't have the SIM card."

Nope, that was tucked in her bra. She'd hidden it when it became apparent the wendigo were going to actually attack and she needed to run. She was pretty sure her camera man had made it, since he'd basically abandoned her when her heel had snapped.

Which was why her ankle felt like she'd lit it on fire, but there was no way in hell she was going to complain about that until she was at home. She supposed she should've been nicer due to whole being rescued thing, but since she was twenty percent certain Klaus had set the wendigo on her in the first place…

"Maybe it fell out."

A flat, disbelieving look and she smiled at him. Those fascinating eyes that were constantly shifting colors narrowed and she watched him scan her carefully. If he'd wanted her to be helpful, he shouldn't have put her on this couch. She was going to have to throw this jeans out, which sucked. Jeans that made her ass look this fabulous deserved better than a garbage heap.

"Caroline, someone was very interested in keeping whatever you found out of the press."

She widened her eyes. "Is that why they tried to kill me?"

Instead of irritation, that indulgent amusement was back on his face. "I admire your guts, sweetheart, and I'm certainly appreciative of the chaos you leave in your wake, but you're going to lose that pretty head of yours and then we're will you be?"

"Dead, obviously."

His smile was panty wetting hot. "If you're lucky."

His words, not so much.

Caroline held that gaze. "I'm a big girl. My job is to ferret out information. That your side of the city is full of such nonsense is alarming, but it keeps me employed. I also like my head where it is and I don't like your suggestion that am reckless in what I publish."

His tongue swiped across his lower lip. "Really? The doppelganger problem?"

"If I didn't print it, Lockwood would've and he'd have embellished it. I gave it facts, and limited the fallout. You should thank me."

"Silas?"

"A wanna-be god with a cult following. I thought you ate him?"

Now he was glowering and she glared back.

"Where is the SIM card?"

Lying to a demon was bloody impossible with words. They had a stupid internal lie detector that never failed. But sometimes you could lie with your body, if you were very, very careful. Holding his gaze, she shrugged a single shoulder.

Klaus snarled, the sound doing anything but frightening her. "I should peel you out of those clothes and do a body cavity search."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "I'd find your precious alter, murder your priest even if I felt bad about it and burn your temple down."

He leaned forward, breath mingling with hers. "Aiming for a ticket to hell love?"

"Please, I was defending the plane from a chaos demon. My gods of choice would never convict me?"

A curl of his lips. "A pity. Someday, we must discuss your deity of choice, as I'd be willing to catch your soul, show you some sights. I bet you're delicious."

The hint of a purr in his voice stirred the first of flush of arousal through her blood. Cheeks warm, she bared her teeth. "I'm not telling you were the SIM card is."

His gaze lowered to her breasts, and he exhaled roughly as he stood. "Well, sweetheart, if that's how you feel, I suppose there isn't much I can do."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Where are you going?"

He paused in front of a mirror that had gone black. "To locate a wrap for that ankle and to pack a bag. If you aren't smart enough to keep from involving yourself, it seems I need to spend some time on your couch. As you said, I should thank you for the way you try to minimize the damage done to my people in the media. We'd hate for Lockwood to take over."

Caroline added traveling through mirrors as part of his skill set and scowled. He'd disappeared, leaving her in this pit of a hideout. That ass.

* * *

 **Klaroline + you just ate my dog! No I won't go on a date with you!**

There was a hot dog on her desk. Arms crossed, she stared at it like it was a viper. It did not help that she was starving, her original hot dog having been stolen by Enzo's stupidly hot, annoyingly arrogant, ass of a friend. So instead of wolfing down the lunch she'd been promised, she'd ended up throwing an open container full of relish at his face.

Then she'd stomped off to her meeting, hungry and pissed. It's been the fastest negotiations she'd ever been part of and she might have to send her admin an apology cupcake for snarling.

Teeth clenched, she carefully moved towards what she supposed was a peace offering of sorts. The carefully written note said as much, but it was the inclusion of the offer for a real dinner that surprised her. Most people didn't take being used as a relish target practice, even with Enzo laughing his fool head off, as a weird sort of courting ritual.

He'd gotten her order right, the British guy with the dimples. Taking a bite, she considered his offer as she ate. Enzo had mentioned Dimples would be in town for a few days. Plenty of time for her to get a lay of the field before she decided if her lunch thief deserved the chance to apologize properly.

* * *

 **Klaroline + you're mother tried to have me assinated, I'm not coming to dinner!**

"Mother won't be there," Rebekah said irritably. "I told you there was an argument."

"An argument is not a falling out, Bekah," Caroline growled. "Can you not see why'd I'd be uncomfortable with being around your family?"

"You didn't seem to have this much hesitation in being around Nik."

Caroline turned scarlet, and was thankful her friend couldn't see her. Rebekah would go from petulant to pissed if she knew the extent of how much she hadn't minded Klaus. She still couldn't look at her shower without a faint twinge of embarrassment at what he'd talked her into, how loud she'd gotten.

"Klaus saved my life," she deflected instead. "Your other brother tried to kill me."

"Finn is a momma's boy and I have made it clear I'll ship him his children in coffins if he tries it again. Oh, don't sound so outraged. His kids are menaces and I hate their mother."

"Why are we friends again?"

"Through sheer luck, you saved my life and so I've benevolently let you live. Nik and 'Lijah will be at dinner. Do not be late."

The ring tone was loud and Caroline cursed. There was no way she'd be able to hide the fact that she's had sex with Klaus with him in the room with her. She wasn't going to have to worry about Esther attempting to kill her a second time, Rebekah would murder her just as soon as she confirmed her suspicions.

Lip caught between her lip, she sighed.

It's been totally worth it, though.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	38. Chapter 38

Written forMrsAgentCooper's birthday!

* * *

Caroline stared at the boxes strewn about the mess of her apartment, as the afternoon sunshine faded into dusk. She was running out of time. Raking her hands through her bangs, she cursed beneath her breath and set about taping the last cardboard box with gritted teeth.

New York was supposed to have been a new start. A place above ground and away from Underhill, the endless crawl for power in the Courts. NYC was neutral territory that wasn't affiliated with any court, and it was a vibrant mix mash of fae and unseelie, human and monster. It was why she'd fled there when her betrothal had gone sideways. It was the best place for her to disappear, a fae among other fae. New York City was a sanctuary of sorts, but it was one that was ruthlessly enforced by those in charge.

Sitting at the top of that power structure was Klaus Mikaelson. A ruthless son of a bitch, and hardly what she'd call fair, but he kept the city in an uneasy balance with the force of his temper alone. She'd heard rumors of the extent of his magic (and his parentage, hinting that he was born in the Unseelie Courts) but she'd pushed that aside for _her_ truths of him.

The struggle not to hit him over the head with something heavy, preferably that chair he liked to recline in while lording his greatness, was a constant one.

Klaus had been amused by her ignorance, condescending of her determination to carve a life for herself, and an utter ass about what he considered her personal failings. _Particularly_ when she'd first arrived in the Big Apple. But Caroline was used to dealing with other people's expectations, their preconceived notions about her pretty face and sunshine magic.

It'd taken her five years for her claw her business into the black. Five years of networking, of sweating, of finding herself entangled in a wild assortment of nonsense. She'd suffered through leprechaun feuds, through dwarf embargoes and once, a pixie hunting party. All the while, Klaus watched her from the shadows with that cocky smile and glittering gaze, daring her to give up.

To run back to the White Court and her family.

Two weeks ago, that biting antagonism between her and Klaus had snapped. She'd found herself sprawled across his desk, nails leaving gouges in the pristine wood as she came. _Multiple times_. Her temperature heated every time she thought of it, even as she tried ruthlessly to push the memories aside.

She didn't regret the sex. Klaus had been a pain in her side and a much too frequent guest in her dreams and fantasies, for her to really deny that she'd wanted him. It had been her knee jerk reaction to his murmured request for an actual _date_ , the instinctual panic that had left ice in her lungs and left her cheeks hot with embarrassment instead of lust.

God, the words she thrown at him, standing naked in his office. The frigid silence as she'd yanked on her clothes and shoes. The gaping void between them that she hadn't figured out how to apologize for and now it was probably too late.

Stefan had found her.

The contracts her father had signed on her behalf held no power here, but he could and would make problems for those she cared about. The people in her employment were an odd mixture of Fae and human, a handful of outcasts who were stubborn and creative and would suffer with the eyes of the White Court on them. Stefan had made it clear that he felt the contracts were binding now that his brother had married, and had promised to be faithful.

As if she'd settle for knowing that her childhood friend had shared both brothers, that her marriage was a mere political move in an endless crawl for power. She'd gathered everything that was legally hers to take and fled, had built this life. She'd sold her mother's jewels for capital, had ruthlessly dissected every bit of her old life as she'd scraped by. She'd outgrown Stefan long before she fled her familial lands, and she'd grown even more since that escape.

But Stefan was a Knight and that was beyond her resources to go up against. He had the Queen's ear and neutral territory or not, if Stefan couldn't drag her out, he'd use the people in her life to force her compliance. So forty-eight hours after Stefan had upended her life for a second time, she'd scrambled to put measures into place before his thirty-six hour deadline was up.

She'd spent hours holed up with her legal team, putting together documentation and shipping it over to Davina and Josh, giving them ownership of her business. The witch and the brownie would manage to keep what she'd started going, even if it would take some time to smooth things over with some of their more particular customers.

Then it'd been a rush to clean up her end of things. Glancing at her watch, she growled when she realized how late the movers were. She'd intended to get everything loaded and on its way to the storage unit she'd paid for before nightfall, and then get the hell out of town. But the movers had been delayed by traffic and were hours late.

She wasn't sure where she was going to run to yet, as any of the major metropolitan areas were affiliated with a court. She'd developed contacts over the last few years, but none who'd speak a good word for her in place white fae were rarely allowed. Maybe Canada would work out?

A knock sounded on her door, and Caroline cursed. If it was her landlord showing up to complain about her trying to use the service elevator after the designated hours, she was going to be pissed. One more impatient glance at her watch, she opened the door with angry words hot on her tongue.

Everything caught in her throat at the sight of Klaus. He was dressed casually, Henley worn thin enough she could see a shadow of his tattoos, the necklaces draped across his collarbones humming with magic. And his eyes.

His eyes said he was _pissed_.

"Klaus," she finally managed, voice rough. "What are you doing here?"

His smile was a terrible thing, for all that dimples creased his cheeks. "I've found myself playing a bit of a messenger, love. Going to invite me in?"

The foyer blocked the sight of her living room from the doorway, but the moment he stepped inside he'd see her frantic packing. Smile tight, she shook her head. "No."

Gold bled through the edge of his iris, and the small hairs on the back of her neck lifted in warning, but she didn't budge. Klaus was pissed at her, and she'd no doubt he'd be beyond furious once he knew what she'd done. Still, Caroline knew he wouldn't lay a physical hand on her, magical or otherwise.

She'd have never had sex with him if she'd had the slightest doubt of that.

"Prefer to have this discussion with an audience, sweetheart?"

God, how she despised that endearment on his tongue, the acerbic edge. The last time he'd rasped it in her ear, his fingers had been teasing against her clit, voice roughly coaxing. But that thought wasn't at all helpful.

"I'm busy. Come back later."

Instead of antagonizing him, her waspish tone relaxed the tense line of Klaus' jaw. Shoulder settling on the door jab, he reached for the papers he'd shoved into his back pocket. "I'm afraid this discussion cannot wait."

He couldn't keep her here, but Klaus could and would make things as difficult as possible. Teeth grinding, she held out her palm. His gaze never wavered from her face, and she searched for the few kernels of patience she had left as she looked at the paperwork.

For a moment, she stared blankly at the familiar words. And then she felt the blood drain from her face. Strong hands gripped her shoulders, but Klaus made no move to do more than hold her upright.

"Your choice, Caroline. We can talk about this here or behind your wards, I'm not particular."

Shaking off his hands, she straightened to her full height and stared at him furiously, temper pushing back her shock. "Where did you get these?"

"The pixies thought they'd do you a favor, deliver them early. As I'm sure you're aware, Davina is close with Marcel, who is one of mine. Your little witch showed up at my office, waving those documents about hysterically. It took a bit of fussing about, but we uncovered quite a few interesting bits of information. Invite me in, Caroline."

She was gloriously tempted to slam the door in his face, and forced herself to grind the invitation out instead. Spinning on her bare heel, she marched into her living room, knowing he'd follow.

"You could've simply returned the documents to me _signed_ , if you were trying to be helpful."

"Helpful?" Klaus questioned as he shut and locked her door. "What gave you the impression that I'm interested in being helpful, Caroline?"

Caroline turned to snarl and instead, her breath hitched at his expression. His gaze raked down her body, the possessive and blatantly greedy expression leaving her mouth bone dry. She was in the pair of cut-off jean shorts she painted in, a ratty tank top, and her hair was in a tangled knot. She wore her glamour ring, so her pointed ears were tucked away, but the rest of her was on messy display. She shouldn't have felt vulnerable for having not bothered with even mascara, as he'd seen her naked and sweat soaked, thighs sticky with their combined release.

She did.

"This is a rather fetching look on you, love, even if the reason for it infuriates me."

His voice jolted her back into her skin and she forced down her flush. "Do you expect a thank you for giving these to me? Davina was meant to _sign_ _them_."

Klaus' smile was a blade and she yelped as the sheets caught on fire in her hand. She dropped them and stared in disbelief as they turned to ash on her carpet. Hissing, she glared at his smug face. "Do you know what those cost me to put together, you unbelievable dick?"

"I don't care," he returned, voice taunt with temper.

"Luckily," she gritted out as if he hadn't spoken, "I have copies!"

He shrugged. "I'll light those on fire too, if necessary. Tell me what has you spooked, Caroline."

She fisted her hands. "No. I need to finish packing, so you need to leave."

Klaus lifted a brow, gaze flicking deliberately across the room. "That'll be unnecessary. I cancelled your movers."

Vision wavering with the force of her temper, she ground out a single word. " _What_?"

"Did you imagine I'd just let you leave?"

"Do you imagine it's your choice?" She thundered, moving into his space to jab his chest with her index finger. "You don't get a say in what I do, Klaus Mikaelson. This isn't any of your business!"

His head dipped, blazing eyes holding hers. "The moment you came on my tongue this became my business. I've stared at the marks your nails left on my desk for weeks, remembered how you felt, hot and tight and perfect around my cock, the little hitch in your cries as you pushed right up against the edge of orgasm. How my favorite tone of your voice is how you _beg_."

Her face burned, but she didn't back down. "I'm leaving, Klaus. I don't have time for this."

"Not," he replied, voice rough as his eyes blazed. "Until you tell me why."

She wanted to snarl back, to claw at the rigid line of his temper. But Caroline had already hurt him once because of fear, and if this was the last time she would see him, she wouldn't do it again. Swallowing down her temper as best she could, she fisted her hands and took a deep breath.

Klaus never blinked.

"I told you why I came here," Caroline said tightly.

She'd been forced to give far more information than she'd been comfortable with, during that intake interview. She'd had the money to pay the fee, and passed through the spell checks easily. All of that had been upended when Klaus had strode in and pinned her with his eyes.

"I remember everything you told me that night, Caroline. A Sunshine Fae fleeing from the White Court would've been memorable, even without your sharp tongue and naive stubbornness." Klaus crossed his arms, head tilting to the side. "Then you actually made it work."

Caroline snorted. "Of course I made it work."

His lips curled, and the sudden shift behind his eyes left her breathless. "Lovely Caroline, with her stubborn chin and snapping eyes. I admit, I waited for you to fail, for you to give up and crawl home. Yet, each obstacle the city threw at you, you found a way to manage. Perhaps not always gracefully, but you handled it."

The soft admiration in his voice silenced her words, and she swallowed hard as he paced forward, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips unerringly grazed the invisible tip of her ear and she shuddered. "Klaus…"

"So I continue to not understand, why you've chosen to let your past chase you away."

"It's not that easy," she protested, stepping away from the tempting heat of him. "Stefan is a Knight, he has the Queen's ear. I have no way to fight him, politically or magically. Fae living outside of Underhill do so only because the Courts allow it, Klaus."

Klaus gaze streaked with gold and she stilled. "You cannot be attempting to protect… Caroline."

Her name was a harsh curse and she tilted her chin stubbornly. "The White Court…"

Klaus interrupted her savagely. "Has it occurred to you, that the White Court should be concerned with _me_? This is my territory, Caroline, and we've chosen to stay neutral because the Courts have worked very hard to give us a reason to not interfere."

She startled, brows tucked together. "What?"

"I've shipped your so called betrothed back to his Queen, but not before having a bit of a chat with Knight Salvatore. He's been made aware of the consequences should he choose to step foot on my land again. Elijah was kind enough to deal the particulars that needed to be sent back with him for his Court."

Caroline blinked rapidly. "You just… threw him out?"

A cutting look, from beneath arched brows. "The real question is why didn't you ask me to do it in the first place?"

Her mouth opened, closed when the words wouldn't come. Amusement curled Klaus' lips, and his gaze burned along her skin. He smoothed his fingertips across her jaw, his words dipping low and rough. "And how long do you think it would take to strip you down and have you clawing at my back, chasing an orgasm?"

She spluttered. "What? How can you…"

Klaus laughed harshly, cutting her words off. "You're all I can think about, Caroline. You've haunted me for years, and it wasn't until I had the spineless filth your father chose for you before me, that I realized how close I came to never having you at all. We have much to discuss, particularly in regards to the words exchanged in my office. But I had little intention of letting you go after that rather spectacular snapping of your control, and the way you've been avoiding me suggests that you feel the same."

"I haven't been avoiding you," she protested. At his knowing look, she flushed. "My days do not revolve around you, Klaus Mikaelson."

"But you do think of me," he returned, satisfaction curling his smile higher. "Good."

"You're impossible," Caroline said in exasperation.

"Of course," Klaus agreed, stepping close enough that his jeans brushed against her bare legs. His hand cupped her jaw, the touch surprisingly gentle. "Do you want me, Caroline? This?"

She nodded slowly, hand lifting to curl around his wrist. "I'm sorry, for what I said that night in your office."

"You're forgiven, though we will need to discuss what was spoken in anger between us."

She nodded again, lips parting to speak just as his head dipped and his mouth sealed across hers. She moaned at the first hot glide of his tongue, the slight edge of teeth. His hand slid slowly down her spine as he deepened the kiss, but she squeaked embarrassingly as Klaus gripped her ass, lifting her off her toes and moving until her spine was pressed firmly against the wall. One hand snaked up her shirt to cup her breast while he pressed his hips firmly against her own.

"Klaus!" She gasped, nails digging into his shoulders. "I don't have a bed! My things are in _boxes_."

He feathered kisses against her collarbones, working slowly up her neck in between words. "We'll have the first round here, then, and later you'll let me take you back to my place. Tomorrow, we'll get your apartment straightened out."

She shivered as his thumb grazed her nipple, legs winding around his hips. He groaned as she rocked against him, breath ragged in his throat. "I want food. I haven't eaten today and I'm hungry."

He bit her shoulder with blunt teeth, soothed it with a hot lave of his tongue. "I'll give you whatever you want."

It took hours, before they managed to leave her apartment. And it ended up being a few days before she made it back to her bed, but she didn't mind. Klaus kept his word and gave her exactly what she wanted.

Many, many times.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	39. Chapter 39

**I've Been Here Before**

This was supposed to be part of a longer story, but between work shenanigans and everything else these past few weeks, my muse is hiding. So here is a small pick me up for everyone, because we all need it. I've a few more drabbles floating around that I'll try to post.

* * *

Caroline wasn't exactly bored, per se, but she found herself floundering. Usually her winters were spent lounging on a beach, enjoying cocktails and the sun on her skin. Winter Wonderland was only really fun in theory, and rarely for more than a week.

In the three years since she'd caved to Bonnie's quiet pressure to be closer and settled in New York City, she'd never stayed past the first blistering cold snap. NYC was as close as she'd allow herself to settle to Mystic Falls, her adamant refusal to involve herself in any Salvatore stupidity required space to maintain. She wasn't quite so young anymore, had lingering emotional scars to show for it, but she wasn't willing to risk it.

She'd fallen in love with New York City in the Fall, and it remained her favorite season. Pumpkin spice, changing leaves, and air just chilly enough to get away with cute scarves and cuter boots. Halloween was a fun rush of costumes and blood, the supernatural community enjoying the chance to let a little fang and fur out. Usually, she was packed up and gone, long before the first Christmas lights were strung.

But that year, she'd found herself waffling.

Something about the winter chill had her lingering, and it wasn't loneliness that kept her feet rooted to US soil. Caroline had spent part of her summer with Bonnie, chatted with her on a weekly basis. But as Thanksgiving rolled around, she contemplated possible tickets and travel plans, and found herself staying put.

She baked her grandma's pumpkin pie receipt for the first time in decades. She'd spent a amusing day cooking over Skype with Bonnie, complaining about potatoes and turkey brine-ing. Made faces at an assortment of grand babies and her nieces and nephews.

Now, the first real snow flurries hissed softly against her windows and she felt restless. She'd attempted to book flights to Barcelona three times that afternoon, thoughts of her favorite Tempranillo dancing in her head and somehow, she hadn't managed it. It wasn't due to financial concerns. Those Finance classes she'd been stupidly bored in had been useful, and the occasional tip dropped by older vampires she'd met around had been more so.

So why wasn't she currently sprawled on a beach, eyeing the nearest cabana boy as desert?

Closing her laptop in frustration, Caroline headed for her jacket. She'd never done well with indecisiveness, and her apartment was starting to feel suffocating. Dinner and wine might clear her head, maybe a walk to burn off her jitters.

A little tipsy from a few of her favorite stops, she stared up at lights on the tree at Rockefeller Square. Closing her eyes to hide the pretty Christmas tree lights, Caroline resigned herself to popping into Mystic Falls for the Christmas. Bonnie had grudgingly allowed her solitude on Thanksgiving, but there was no avoiding the Bennett Family during Christmas if she was stateside.

Which meant she'd have to see Damon.

God, she could already imagine how those comments would go. He'd never forgiven her for refusing to help find a way to bring Elena, and Caroline refused to apologize for encouraging her friend to live. The antagonization between them had shifted into a razored dislike, and Caroline was looking forward to the day she never had to see him again.

Caroline hadn't talked to Stefan is years. Last she'd heard he was somewhere in Canada, tucked away in the wilderness. She'd wondered if he'd found what needed, surrounded by caribou and wolves. But Stefan wasn't her emotional weight anymore, hadn't been for decades, and Caroline had no intention of bridging the gap between them.

Some scars healed slower than others.

Buried in her thoughts, she missed the sounds of a growing commotion, right up until someone in a hurry clipped her. Stumbling, she hissed as her boot slipped on the thin layer of slush, ankle turning sharply. Off balance, she nearly ended up on her ass when the party chasing the previous jerk slammed into her as well. Instinctively, her hands reached for anything to stop her tumble and she grabbed a fistful of jacket.

Somehow, they stayed upright, even as she head threads pop.

She'd have felt bad about it, but he'd ran into her. Glaring up, angry words on the tip of her tongue, she froze in shock as she took in a very familiar face. The nearby street vendors buried his scent beneath an assortment of cooked meat, but the feel of him was unmistakable.

He wasn't looking at her, gaze flecked with gold as he reflexively moved to shift her impatiently to the side, jaw tight and eyes hunting sharp. Caroline's fingers went lax, and he shockingly murmured a clipped apology, clearly tracking the ass who'd rammed her. With her jacket and hat, he hadn't recognized her, and he froze as she stammered out his name.

"Klaus?"

His gaze snapped to hers, temper and focus flaring into surprise. Klaus blinked once, gaze heating and dragging reflexively down her rumpled figure. Something like delight mingled with frustration, and he drew her closer as he made sure she was steady, instead of pushing her away. "Hello, Caroline."

The way he murmured her name hadn't changed, and a shiver ran down her spine. "What are you doing here?"

A sigh, and his gaze flicked over her shoulder. "My apologies, sweetheart, but I'm afraid I'm in the middle some negotiations that have become unnecessarily complicated."

"Define unnecessarily."

A quick flash of dimples, and his gaze flicked around. "Unfortunately, it is the sort that needs a bit of a personal touch, but shouldn't take long. If you'd like, once concluded, I'd be delighted to pop back around. Perhaps you'd allow me to buy you dinner, as an apology?"

Caroline knew she was gaping a little, and Klaus dimpled at her surprise. His hands smoothed across her shoulders and he stepped back, tongue swiping across his lips as he continued to grin. "No? Perhaps coffee, then. Tuck yourself somewhere warm, love. I'll find you."

A moment later, she was standing alone, mouth shutting with a click. If it hadn't been for the lingering warmth of his hands imprinted on her arms, she'd almost believe she'd hallucinated the entire encounter. Klaus was here.

Caroline knew she should really go barricaded herself inside her apartment, and switch to something stronger than wine. But she found she didn't really want too. It had been over seventy years, since she'd seen Klaus. There had been an occasional rumor, particularly once she'd moved through supernatural communities larger than Mystic Falls, but nothing more. She'd never regretted their bargain, not when the last seventy years had let her grow, but that hadn't stopped her from thinking about him, occasionally.

Particularly when she'd gone on a dry spell for more than a few months. She'd had partners since Klaus who were good, but somehow her fantasies always circled back to him, his hands on her skin, the rasp of his voice against her ear. It'd been a long time since her pulse had kicked just by someone saying her name.

Shifting her weight, she winced. Besides, he totally owed her for the twisted ankle. It wasn't anything a little blood wouldn't fix, but ending ass first in a slush puddle did not appeal to her or her dignity. Decision made, she limped her way to a coffee shop.

A little blood, and she settled into a booth she felt no guilt for compelling herself, cradling acup of coffee and nibbling on a slice of cake that was prettier than it tasted. Still, it was chocolate and she hadn't felt the need to be overly picky. Hopefully, the cake would keep her from being tempted to accept that dinner invite.

She was just starting to wonder if Klaus had overstated his ability to find her, when he walked in the door. He' honed in on her immediately, and Caroline failed spectacularly at keeping her eyes on his face. He made a pretty picture, the perfect fit of his jacket and snow flecked curls, lips curling just enough to tease his dimples. Klaus slid across from her, smile widening at her narrowed eyes.

"You look cozy, love. I like the hat. No lingering damage from our abrupt meeting, I hope?"

Caroline took a deliberate breath, and beneath the coffee and cake, she didn't smell blood. Just Klaus, and that was more than enough. "I'm fine, thanks. Nothing a quick bite didn't fix. You surprisingly don't smell like a slaughter house."

A flash of dimples, as Klaus unwound the charcoal of his scarf, shrugging off his jacket a moment later. Caroline blinked at the thin, soft sweater he wore, the cords around his neck the only familiar part of his outfit. She was relieved when Klaus snagged the menu, gaze skimming the contents as she nearly swallowed her tongue.

She'd always have a fondness for those henleys, but this worked for her. It was ridiculous, her desire to reach over and smooth the soft fabric along his shoulders. Klaus glanced back up, gaze heated and a touch hungry.

"Thankfully, not everyone requires the same level of encouragement as your particular brand of acquaintances. The young witch took something that belongs to me, I merely retrieved it and arranged for him to be returned to his mother."

Caroline felt her eyebrows inch up, as the waitress walked over. She waited until Klaus had ordered his boring black coffee, ignored the way he eyed her half eaten cake with interest. "Returned him… in what condition?"

Klaus waved away her disbelief, grin tugging at his mouth. "A little wiser, to be certain. His mother belongs to a coven that I've worked with for centuries. I can afford to show a little leniency, but it did come with a bit of a cost, of course."

She rolled her eyes, and firmly pushed down her curiosity at that little tidbit he'd dropped. Asking questions about his past dealings with witches didn't seem like a good idea, even if she knew it'd drive her a little crazy. "Of course it did."

Another slow, amused smile and he studied her carefully. "How are you, Caroline? I'd have expected you to have jetted off to the warmer climates by now. Decided on snow this year?"

Her fingers curled around the fork she'd lifted in preparation for another bite of cake, and her gaze narrowed. "Um, what? How would you know that? Because stalking is not okay."

He tsked, eyes warm. "Hardy stalking, love. I merely keep an eye on things. I've kept to the letter of our little bargain, have I not?"

She swallowed at the flash behind his eyes, the way his gaze lingered on her lips as she groped for something to say. Awareness trembled through her stomach, cheeks heating as at his drawling reminder of the last time they'd seen each other. Caroline was saved from responding immediately as his coffee was dropped off. Klaus murmured his thanks, never taking his eyes from her face.

Deciding she wasn't ready to touch that particular trek down memory lane, regardless that her thoughts had gone there without his prompting earlier, she set her jaw and took a deep breath. "I don't like creepy loopholes. I really don't like my life being reported on as if you have a right to the information."

Klaus' made a low noise of dissent, gaze turning serious. "I have enemies, Caroline. I've no intention of interfering with your life, I believe I've proven that these past few decades, have I not? Over the years, I've done my best to squash any interest in Mystic Falls, particularly after the mess that New Orleans became."

She compressed her lips, forced herself to consider what he was saying. "There are boundaries, Klaus. Spying on me crosses several."

"I hardly get daily reports on your life, Caroline," he murmured, voice low and coaxing. "Just an occasional update from those who know to watch for you. I wish the measure wasn't necessary, but not all your friends are quiet so circumspect with your name. I will not allow you to used as collateral damage in someone's personal war."

Caroline clenched her teeth. One day, she'd have it out with Damon, and it wouldn't go nearly the way the older vampire thought it would. "I don't have to like it."

"I don't expect you to," Klaus replied, smile a touch sardonic. "Perhaps you should think of it this way, love. If something were to happen, I would know, and I'd come looking."

There was a steadiness to his voice, a glint of determination behind his eyes, that promised he meant his words. It was frustrating that he knew how to keep her so easily off balance, even after all these years, the firm promise of help should she require it weakening her temper. Unfortunately, that same steel also meant she probably wouldn't be able to budge him. She took a bite of cake and glowered.

Klaus' eyes gleamed, but he kept any amusement off his face. Giving her a moment to collect herself, he sipped his coffee. Frowning, his gaze lowered and he eyed the cup with distaste. Caroline didn't care if it made her a terrible person, she savored his dislike. His gaze lifted, eyes catching hers, and his head canted.

"New York suites you." Caroline blinked, and he grinned. "Have you enjoyed it?"

She considered his question, the slight eagerness behind his eyes. Klaus had always pushed her to move past Mystic Falls. His insistence that there was more to the world than he friends and small town had played a part in what had finally driven to leaving.

Not that she planned to admit that, any time soon.

"I adore the city," she murmured. "It's was the first place I fell truly in love with, after I left."

"I would've thought Barcelona or Adelaide, as often as you've returned," Klaus said thoughtfully, watching her face.

Caroline pointed her fork at him. "Reminding me that you've creepy spies right now, might not be in your favor."

A smile tugged at his lips. "Perhaps not. Will you allow me to acquit myself?"

She considered her options, the heat in his gaze, and realized she didn't know what she wanted from Klaus. Seventy years had changed many things, but what he had offered, what it was clear he was still offering, was far more than she was willing to examine too closely just then. But she felt more engaged than she had in weeks, and Klaus might push her, but he'd never taken more than she'd offered.

"I want more cake."

Klaus glanced around, before he arched a challenging brow. "Certainly not here?"

"Well, I guess that depends. What do you have in mind?" Her words came out a little throatier than she'd wanted, and the answering spark in his gaze was proof he still missed little.

One side of his mouth curved, voice deepening. "I may have a few suggestions…"

Caroline had fun meandering through the city with Klaus. She'd found herself paraded through bakeries, and plied with strong, bitter coffee to offset the sweet, while Klaus was at his most charming. He kept a low, running commentary of the city and various bakery origins as they walked, drawing out the occasional story from her as well. She'd spent more time smiling than she had in ages, and it was eye opening watching him charm everyone around them.

Seeing him in his element was fascinating.

The heat in his gaze, however, remained firmly for her, and it left her flushed and a touch giddy. It'd been years since someone who knew her had watched her with want open and unabashed in their eyes. Klaus had never been shy about what he wanted, but it had been seven decades.

It's been surprisingly perfect, the cold winter air and Klaus. When he'd dropped her off with a warm kiss on her cheek, she'd found herself agreeing to meet him for coffee in a few days.

Then another coffee.

Then lunch.

It wasn't until she was holding a handwritten invitation to celebrate the New Year that she really considered how much time she'd spent with Klaus. This invitation reflected a different one, sent years ago, the ornate writing the same from her memories. But instead of a cold knot of dread in her stomach, anticipation fizzed in her blood.

She'd promised Bonnie she'd be there for Christmas, but this gave her plenty of time to shop. Teeth dragging across her lip, she felt a smile curved along her mouth. She'd already decided she'd no intention of being in New York for the coming months, January and February's bitter cold offering none of the warmth of the holidays.

Plans twisting around in her brain, she opened her laptop to begin figuring out logistics. She wasn't ready for the eternity Klaus had once offered her, but she thought and interlude might be fun. And she was certain he'd agree, based on the careful way he'd allowed himself to touch her, the greedy way he watched her. She'd no intention of waking up on New Year's alone.

Plan set, she sent Bonnie a quick text to finalize their plans and began the task of finding the perfect dress to tempt Klaus' careful control.

If he was smart, Klaus would have champagne.


	40. Chapter 40

**When We Were Young**

Possible prompt if it gives you any inspiration - Caroline leaves Mystic Falls almost as soon as she's turned (because why would she want to be around Damon and all the friends who didn't really help her). A few months later she sneaks back into Mystic Falls to visit her mom and runs into Klaus?

This was sent ages ago, and I've lost the original prompt, but I hope you like how this turned out! I wrote it super fast, so apologies on any errors!

Warning: Violence and mentions of past-rape.

* * *

Caroline stayed inside the house for a half-hour after her mom headed for her shift at the station. It's been six months since she'd been home, and the achingly familiar scents were so, so hard to let go of. But she couldn't stay.

Not yet.

The car she'd stolen had been dropped off in miles of backwoods, but Liz knew its location as well as the VIN. It'd get returned. She had a second mode of transportation waiting for her in Richmond, and then it was back to being a ghost.

One last lungful to hold her over, Caroline stepped onto the back porch. She flicked the lock into place just as there was a blur of movement, and rough hands dug into her arm. Caroline twisted, her elbow snapping up. The fight was quick and dirty, and she ground the vampire firmly into the wooden railing, fingers digging into his chest so the scent of blood was heavy between them.

"Damon," Caroline said with a bladed smile. "Not so easy when I'm no longer a human, is it?"

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Caroline asked curiously, tightening her grip when she felt his muscles bunch. "I'd think twice about that, Stefan. You might kill me, but I'll kill Damon. Hate for that to be on your conscious."

Stefan stepped into the moonlight, eyes narrowed. "You're supposed to be dead."

Caroline shrugged. "Turns out, Mom couldn't pull the trigger."

She'd be haunted by it for the rest of her life. Sitting in her living room, sobbing as her Mom held her firearm in a white knuckled grip. Everything had spilled out - the blood bags, Elena, Damon. Her broken pleas to just end it. She was a monster. Caroline would never, ever forget when her mom had sat next to her, so close that their legs and sides had touched.

"You didn't kill the nurse. She's alive." Liz had touched her hair, and Caroline had smelled the fear and determination. "But you can't stay."

Her childhood had ended when she was seventeen, because these two vampires had played their games.

"Where is Elena, Caroline," Stefan questioned as he took a step in her direction.

"I haven't seen Elena since she smothered me with a pillow," Caroline said sharplyas she shoved her fingers deeper, wrapping them around Damon's heart. "I will kill him, Stefan."

Damon gurgled something, and Caroline tightened her grip. She had no use for him. Keeping her eyes on Stefan in warning, her next words were nearly conversational as she continued to squeeze.

"Mom told me you'd come to her, looking for Elena. She's not particularly inclined to help you, after I told her about the compulsion and rape. Oh, why the surprised face, Stefan? Did you imagine it was something I should've been ashamed of? I'm not girly little Caroline anymore."

It had been. It's taken weeks of work to get herself to this point, but she'd made the decision not to break. Being a vampire had given her what she needed to take control of her life, and she wasn't going to give it up again.

"I'm certainly intrigued," an accented voice murmured. "Damon, she's a child and that is quite the grip on your heart, mate. Stefan, I wouldn't."

She flicked her gaze to the side, wary at the new voice. There was a vampire she'd never seen before watching her from the stairs, lips curled into a charming, dimpled smile. He was amazingly good looking, but something about the way he watched her, calculated and ruthless underneath the veneer of charm, told her he was very, very dangerous.

"Hello, sweetheart. You must be Caroline."

"Yes," she said slowly, studying him. "But I don't know who you are."

Instead of being offended by her blunt words, he stepped onto her porch and motioned with that smile to Damon's chest. "Unfortunately, I may still need that one, love. If I promise an excruciating death later, you'd be willing to release him?"

The unease at his cordial tone grew. It was clear from Stefan's white knuckles and stone face that this man did not need to ask for anything. That he was choosing to might not be in her favor, and she'd no intention of making deals with devils.

Shrugging, she pulled her hand free. "If I want him dead, I'll do it myself, but thanks for the offer."

Something hot washed through his gaze like amber, and she was startled when he caught her hand, lips brushing across her bloody knuckles. His eyes never left hers, even as his tongue snaked across his lips. "I'm Klaus, and I never said you couldn't help."

There was something about his tone, the way his name fell like a stone between them, that said she should know who he was and she didn't like that she didn't. Klaus seemed to read her face easily, and instead of chastising her, the soft clucking of his tongue was for Stefan.

"I'm almost disappointed, old friend. Letting the sheriff's daughter be murdered, not advising her on imminent danger. Letting her rush off, without any sort of guidance. Tell me, Caroline, what does your body count look like?"

Caroline was unnerved, by the edge in his tone, the way she was clearly being used as a weapon. Tugging on her hand, she nearly started when he chose to lace their fingers together, cooling blood slick between their fingers and palms. Klaus' hand was strangely warm against her own, and she frowned.

"What kind of vampire are you?"

Those enigmatic eyes swung back to hers, and his smile shifted to approving. "Smart. And I'm what you'd call an Original. Tell me, love, this murderer of yours, you're certain it was the lovely Elena?"

Caroline blinked. "Eavesdropping is rude."

A shrug, and his gaze lingered on her face, before shifting to Damon as he slowly pushed up, the hole in his chest nearly closed. "Hardly eavesdropping. You'll find as you add a few years, that you'll grow stronger, be able to hear further distances. I'm quite a few years older than you. I was merely enjoying a walk and heard voices. I was curious."

She nearly rolled her eyes. She doubted that this Klaus did anything by chance, even if she couldn't figure out why he hadn't released her hand. There were a million questions on her tongue, his age and why he'd bother to care about mere voices, but Caroline swallowed them.

"She wore Elena's face," Caroline said finally, answering his earlier question. "But she sounded… odd."

Klaus' smile shifted into something bladed, and her spine went stiff. His thumb ran across Caroline's knuckles in slick little motions, but his gaze didn't return to her. "Stefan, Stefan, Stefan. You've disappointment me. How long did you help Katerina hide?"

Damon laughed, spitting up a mouthful of blood. "She's locked in the tomb."

Klaus looked intrigued. "Is she? Perhaps I'll send one of you through, to verify. You'll find Katerina is quite clever. It's almost admirable, how she struggles constantly for survival. I do believe, however, that her usefulness has nearly come to an end."

Caroline darted her gaze around and swallowed. The deliberately thoughtful tone of voice as Klaus mentioned murder was hair raising, as was the near resignation on the Salvatore brother's faces. But anger quickly colored the air and Klaus smile held more than an edge of mockery. He was the power here and he knew it.

And he wouldn't let go of her hand.

"Tell me, Caroline, what do you know of Elena?"

"Are you going to kill her?"

Gold eyes met hers, and there was no stopping the way her fangs dropped in reaction. She went to move back, but his free hand caught her chin. She froze, and his gaze lazily drifted along her vampire face. "This time? No. She's far more useful alive."

She tilted her chin and his fingers fell away, but she could still feel him on her skin. "This time?"

Another flicker of intrigue. "I confess, her death was a requirement, a few weeks back. But she was miraculously returned to us and now I'd like to keep her safe."

"Don't listen to him," Stefan said, voice hard. "He's a liar. He wants her blood. He killed Aunt Jenna and Tyler. You cannot trust him."

Caroline didn't trust any of them. She planned on leaving as soon as possible and not returning for years. But first she had to make it off this porch. "Elena was my friend. I won't help you if you're going to hurt her."

A considering look, from beneath those lashes. "I could threaten your mother. She's vulnerable, soft and human. Do you think these two would defend her?"

Caroline felt ice run down her spine at his falsely considering tone. Setting her teeth, she curled her free hand into a fist. "Leave my mother out of this."

A curious curve of his mouth as he swung their clawed hands between them. "Why should I?"

"It's hard to get answers from the dead," she said softly. He stilled, as he took in her words, and she didn't know how to read his eyes. Something dark opened behind his gaze, a pit that nearly swallowed her.

"Be very careful, Caroline. I don't take threats well. And while I trust your sincerity, I'm quite willing to compel you to ensure it doesn't happen."

She yanked her hand loose, certain that he allowed it, throat dry and bones cold at the world compel. She'd learned how to use it, because she wanted to survive, but she still had nightmares. Caroline knew she'd given away a huge weakness, one Klaus could easily capitalize on. Instead, he clasped his hands together and merely studied her.

"No? Perhaps a different deal. I will ensure your mother's safety, for the duration of Elena's lifetime. But only if she is in my grasp. How does that sound?"

Damon lunged, but he'd barely cleared a foot when Klaus reached out and wrenched his neck. Dropping him, Klaus lifted his head and bared a double set of fangs at a white faced Stefan. "Shall I feed you his liver, Stefan? You're so much more entertaining when you lose these silly morals you cling too. Rabbits, I hear. It's quite boring. No? Then stay exactly where you are."

Caroline swallowed as he glanced at her.

"Where were we, love?"

"You were going to explain why you killed Elena the first time."

"Was I?"

"Yes."

Her fingers trembled, insides a tumble of knots, but bending now would be worse than attacking him. Finally he smiled, reaching out to delicately push a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "I broke a curse. One my mother put on me for a thousand years. Someday, perhaps, I'll tell you the entirety of the story, but Elena's death was not in vain. And it was also not permanent."

Caroline knew down to her bones, that giving up what information she had could be condemning Elena to something terrible. Her childhood friend was being hunted by a monster. She also knew the very best thing she could do for her mom was to take him up on his offer, and then try to disappear herself.

Stefan would never forgive her.

But she'd died for things she'd known nothing about. And the bitter, angry knot that had sat in her chest as her mom pointed a gun at her had never truly faded. That Klaus had suggested that it hadn't been Elena, but this Katerina who killed her, meant little to the loneliness and fear of the last six months.

"Aunt Jenna's family had a place in Colorado, it was her great-aunts," Caroline finally murmured, refusing to flinch at Stefan's snarl. "I'd start there."

His smile was a slow, satisfied thing with dimples and teeth. Caroline waited until his attention shifted to Stefan before she turned and tried to leave. Klaus hand caught her wrist, fingers gentle but unbreakable. She tugged, and frowned as he continued to hold her as Stefan disappeared.

"Let go."

"You'll find I don't take orders."

"Neither do I."

A laugh, and he released her. She refused to run, although the sudden silence left her jittery. "Where are you off to?"

"Away," she said simply.

Klaus hummed, stepped close. The easy way he held himself, fingers sliding back into her hair, had her pulse jumping. "You never answered my question."

"What question?"

"How many have you killed?" His eyes deliberately ran down her face and lingered on her lips. The tips of her fangs were nearly visible as she sucked in a breath and he made a low noise that did terrible things to insides. He sounded hungry.

"Two."

Klaus met her gaze, eyes curious. "Just two?"

She shrugged. "I don't like to kill when I eat. It's messy."

A slow blink, and his lips curved into something that spoke of torn sheets and blood. Fingertips still wet with Damon's blood brushed slowly against her lips. "I wonder, little vampire, how long that opinion will hold. I'll be seeing you, Caroline."

The heat of him and Damon's body were suddenly gone, leaving her inexplicably cold. She shivered, nipples tight behind her bra, the first stirrings of arousal leaving her skin prickling. Caroline had no idea if that had been a threat or a promise, but if she had her way, it would be years before she found out.


	41. Chapter 41

**We Let Our Battles Choose Us**

 _Anonymous: My prompt - Caroline is just another young vampire that's roaming the world when she meets Klaus - not in the best circumstances. Bonus if she's with Tyler or someone else when she stumbles upon him and has no clue who she is. Is that a coherent prompt?_

It made perfect sense to me! Thank you for sending it over.

* * *

"Smart of you not to run, sweetheart. A bit unexpected, in one so young," the low, crisp words sent a rush of awareness down her spine. Watching the drink she was pouring glide over ice, she glanced up to tilt the bottle of gin in his direction.

Odds were this monster would kill her, but it certainly wouldn't be for rudeness. Not yet, at least. A hint of dimples she'd only glimpsed earlier, and he reached for a different bottle, didn't bother with the glass.

Figured he'd go for the expensive label.

"Thanks," Caroline said frostily after she'd taken a bracing drink. She didn't offer more, and those full lips curved as he watched her. The bar was empty, had been empty since he'd strolled in and grabbed her date by the throat.

Sadly, it still hadn't been the worst date of her life.

She took a moment to study the monster sitting across from her and he didn't seem to mind, studying her in return. Rumpled curls, scruffed jaw with a devil's smile, all of it was wrapped up in a thin, long sleeved shirt and a hint of necklaces. Any other time, she'd have flirted a little, seen if he was capable of charm.

"How do you know my hybrid?"

It was a struggle, not to stare at the temporarily dead body sprawled out on the floor like trash. She'd been surprised, when she'd run into Tyler at the train station in Barcelona, had been wary and delighted in turns. It'd been ten years since she'd disappeared, and Tyler had been a friendly ghost.

Now she was starting to see why he'd been so determined to meet. Had he hoped she'd help him? Did he intend for her to be collateral damage? Anger knotted in her chest and she took another long drink. Caroline couldn't place what this monster in front of her was but she knew he was dangerous. She'd eaten at this bar enough to be familiar with the locals, and she'd watched a four hundred year vampire run.

He shifted, expression taking on a hint if impatience, and she couldn't help the bite in her tone. "Tyler? He was a friend once."

Those lashes narrowed, and he followed her lead and took a slow sip of the whiskey in his hand. "Was he? I wasn't aware that Tyler still had any of those left, as I've made a point to kill them."

Her hands remained steady, but her pulse was hammering in her ears. "And are you going to kill me?"

A glint of appreciation at her bluntness, and he continued to watch her from curious eyes. "It's possible, but I don't believe I'd take any pleasure from it."

She snorted, and poured herself another drink. "Gee, thanks."

"Tell me about yourself," he said instead of commenting at her brittle sarcasm.

Caroline set her jaw and finally shook her head. "No."

A hint of yellow around his iris, and she set her heels to keep from bolting. Wolf yellow. But that was impossible, he'd sported veins too. When he spoke, his voice was soft and edged. "No?"

She swallowed harshly before speaking, but didn't look away. "You want to know what I know about Tyler, why I'm here, fine. But I won't barter myself to you."

He leaned back, head tilting as he studied her. "My name is Klaus, love. I believe yours was Caroline?"

Tyler had shouted it, a scream to run, but Caroline had learned a long time ago that running only incited the predator. She'd learned to not be prey. So she'd gathered her things carefully instead, had only lingered because this Klaus had told her to, motioning to the bar with the hand not curled around Tyler's throat.

Running would've been stupid.

Klaus continued to watch her, as if she should know who he was, and she hated that she didn't. It gave him an edge she didn't like. If she lived, she'd have to ask around discreetly, but she was determined to figure it out.

"Yes," she confirmed, bypassing her glass and drinking straight from her bottle as well. "What did Tyler do?"

"He belongs to me," Klaus said easily. He looked amused at her grimace of distaste. "I gave him a gift, and he's chosen to throw it in my face. Don't look so put out, sweetheart. He'll wake in a few hours, and we'll see if he's entertaining enough to let live for another decade or so."

Caroline wondered if that gift had to do with the strength she'd felt in Tyler. It was nothing compared to Klaus, but she'd no intention of asking for more details, regardless of how much her curiosity ate at her. He was watching her, as if waiting for something, and she frowned at him.

"Is this the part where I protest? I mean, yeah, I've got a serious issue with the idea that you can own someone, but I don't know anything about this gift. I ran into Tyler two days ago, and we were having dinner for old times sake. I wanted to know if he'd any gossip from our hometown. That's it."

"From Mystic Falls then, Caroline?"

She put the gin bottle down, eyed him warily. She couldn't tell if that was interest in his face or her pending death, or both. "Yes."

"I don't remember you."

Caroline swallowed at the sudden shift in his mood, as if she'd dropped a puzzle in his lap. "I took off after the whole fang-situation."

After her mom had tried to kill her. Damon. Stefan. Her dad. Neither of her parents would've expected the acting classes they'd paid for in the summers between cheerleading and dance, would've come in handy. A few changes to her appearance, and she'd disappeared. Compulsion made running easy, and she'd done her best to leave no trail. A new country, a new language, and she'd thrived.

"Curious. What would you say if I told you I'd killed a number of your childhood acquaintances?"

She compressed her lips, and shook her head. She knew her mom was still alive, and that was what mattered. Love was a complicated thing. "I wasn't particularly attached. I certainly don't know why you'd have bothered with them."

Another if those searching glasses while took another long pull from the bottle. It was entirely unfair, how good he made it look. Chemistry was tricky, and she wasn't sure how she felt about the stirring of interest as he licked his lips clean.

"That's a long story, but one I could be persuaded to tell parts of. Perhaps over dinner?"

Caroline blinked. "Like a date?"

"Hmm, yes."

"No."

This time, her flat refusal only sparked amusement. "You seem to have a fondness for that word."

"Uh, duh? I mean, you crashed my date, threatened me, discussed your fondness for torture and predilection for murder, and now I should go out with you?"

A boyish smile full of charm. "Yes."

"Going to pass."

"Well, I have always enjoyed a challenge," Klaus murmured lowly, eyes sudden filled with heat. She ignored her own body's reaction to how he looked at her, the low burn of arousal. She blamed the lack of quality sex in her life. "I believe that I'll enjoy you just as much."

"I generally avoid people who offer to kill me," she said carefully. "So really, go bother someone else."

Klaus grinned at her as he stood, swiping his bottle of booze before nodding at her own. "Take anything you'd like, love. My treat."

Then he and Tyler were gone. She stared at the now silent bar for several moments, throat working as she swallowed. She wondered if a request for dinner meant he'd decided not to kill her. She also wondered what it meant.

Because she wasn't an idiot, she went for a bottle or two of the top shelf, deciding that a few death threats meant he could pay for it. Then she took the long way home so she could think. She didn't want to run again, but even before tonight, she'd been eyeing a new place to live. She'd mastered Spanish, and had been waffling between Italian or Portuguese as her next venture.

Maybe she should look to make that move sooner rather than later. She sincerely doubted that she was enough of a puzzle that Klaus would be interested once she was out of his immediate realm of influence. She'd keep her head down for a decade or so, avoid any connection to Mystic Falls, and hope for the best.

Honestly, how much of an impression could she make in one night?


	42. Chapter 42

**Photograph - I Don't Need Your**

I'll just blame this on lalainajanes whose request for celebrity AU prompts spawned this one…

* * *

Caroline was pissed.

Standing impatiently in the elevator, she kept her lips tightly compressed least something spilled out at the lackey at her back. It'd be a shame to ruin this dress with blood, and she'd no doubt that the goon would make her work for it. But she also suspected he thought she was a cream puff, her six decades of vampirism hardly impressive.

His mistake.

This was the third model that had failed to meet her return check-in and she was tired of hiding bodies. New Orleans already had enough of a missing persons problem, she detested adding to it. It was ridiculous, and artistic temperament or not, eating her models because they weren't reflecting the light properly or some other nonsense was going to stop.

She'd fallen into the business on a dare, years ago. She and Marcel had been having an argument about one thing or another, casting photos for a local show she was working with that were awful. It had lead to him laughing and suggesting she try to do better. So she had. And she'd done it fabulously, thank you very much.

She'd no interest in peddling flesh or cookie cutter beauty, worked with woman who looks were as striking as they were lovely. In a decade she'd carved herself a nice, lucrative niche within the supernatural art community. And now someone was eating her current livelihood.

Old vampires were a strange lot. Caroline had listened to a great many of them bemoan modern beauty standards, had suffered through numerous boring conversations until they'd gotten to what their previous artistic muses required. It was creepy, how detailed they could be, down to the arch of a model's foot.

She'd gone back to look at her file when she'd realized that the girl had missed her second appointment that afternoon. N.K had been the only information on file, and a quick check of the wire transfers had offered even less name on file. He'd always been prompt with payment, and they hadn't been small sums, so her staff had apparently hoped he'd just stop eating her clients.

The reaming Caroline had delivered had left her office grave-silent except the sound of her clacking heels as she marched out. N.K lived in a recently refurbished high-rise, his address typed furiously into her phone. She'd looked at renting it herself years ago, the idea of light and a bigger bathroom appealing, but it'd be a few more decades before she could afford that kind of monthly payment.

Her frustration was nearly wiped away as she took in the changes as she was let in. For someone so paranoid, walking in had been surprisingly easy.

The pale wood floors were the same, as was the cream of the walls, but the walls had been gutted, given the space an open feeling that she loved. There were an assortment of fascinating paintings, and she was tempted to see if that was really a Monet or a fabulous knock off, when the sound of clicking caught her attention.

Camera.

Marching in that direction, she walked around a corner that had once led to the master bedroom and felt her eyes widen when she realized it'd been converted into a studio. Mourning the waste of a bathroom with such potential, she turned to glower at the scene in front of her. The first real look of her mysterious N.K was a tumble of curls that looked like they'd been repeatedly disheveled and a truly spectacular ass.

Biting her lip for a moment in appreciation, she dragged her gaze away to look at her model. She was positioned carefully to catch the light, the dim overhead lights flicked off, and she'd admit the girl's skin glowed. Her relief that she was alive was short lived, when she recognized the glazed look to her eyes.

A condition that was strictly against the contract she insisted be signed. The model was also in breach, as she was required to ingest vervain on a daily basis. She was providing models, not mobile snacks.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"A moment, love," unexpectedly low, British tones clipped out. "As you can see, I'm busy."

Caroline gaped at his back, her temper rushing under her skin at the dismissive tone and she narrowed her eyes. Turning on her heel, she matched over to the light switches and turned them all on. She heard a curse and turned to face him just as he finished twisting, vibrant blue eyes narrowed in temper.

"I've eaten prettier vampires for less," he bit out, spine straightening as he glowered at her. Caroline met that pissed off gaze with her own, ignoring the niggling impression that she'd seen him somewhere before.

"I know," she dismissed in the same cool tones he'd directed at her earlier. "I've had to deal with two bodies in as many weeks. I couldn't honestly care if you are documenting the size of your dick, but you will not be compelling and eating my models while you do it."

A glittering flash of eyes, sparking with a flash of yellow. "Not generally the attitude when my cock's involved, sweetheart."

"I don't care for mediocre art," she drawled. She was a bit thrown when her biting comment didn't phase him, sudden amusement curling along his ridiculously biteable lips. She pointed at the girl who hadn't so much as twitched. "That one is mine and we'll be leaving now."

"Caroline Forbes," he said after a moment, and she blinked at him as he set his camera down, hands sliding into his pockets as he strolled towards her. In the bright lights, the thin Henley he wore showed off the lean lines of his torso and the shadow of a tattoo she determinedly did not stare at. His smile widened at her confusion, and his head tilted towards the model, gaze never leaving her face.

"You did say the girl was yours, did you not? I believe that means it was your name on that rather tedious contract you sent over."

Caroline pursed her lips, wondering at the sudden flutter in her belly. "So you did read it. Fascinating, since you ignored it."

"I'm not particularly fond of rules," he drawled as his gaze dropped to her lips before slowly wandering back up. "Call it a quirk."

"That's too bad," she said coolly. "I happen to love them. Particularly when they are in contractual form."

Another glint of amusement, but also an unexpected flare of heat, and he made a considering sound. "Does that preference for control extend to all areas of your life, love?"

Lashes lowering as she took in that flirt, and she gave herself a moment to absorb the sheer amount of sex he was exuding. It was a pity, that he'd pissed her off so badly by eating what wasn't his to destroy. Otherwise, she'd have looked forward to seeing how much charm he was willing to use to get her out of her dress.

"Not something you'll know," she replied. She motioned to her model. "We'll be leaving now."

"Pity," he said as he rocked slightly onto his heels. "I'd have like to see your skin in this light. Draw you loose limbed and sated."

She ignored the hint if gravel in his voice and the corresponding arousal in her veins. Her gaze lingered on the camera, and she arched a brow. "Draw?"

A dismissive wave. "Photography is a new medium, one that isn't working the way I'd hoped."

His fingers raked through his hair in a frustrated motion, leaving his curls further askew, and she clenched her teeth to keep from finding it strangely adorable. The shifting of moods was leaving her unbalanced, and now that he wasn't growling threats or making sex eyes, she wasn't quite sure how to handle it. She didn't expect his gaze to slam back to her face, for him to lean close with narrowed eyes, suddenly hotly intent.

"You have freckles."

"Is rudeness your default setting?" She stepped around him and headed for the girl. "What was your full name? So I know who to blacklist you from my books."

"Niklaus," he said easily enough. "But most people know me as Klaus."

Her fingertips froze where she was lifting the models chin to counter the compulsion in place. Mouth running dry, she tried not keep her heartbeat steady, and failed.

"So you do know of me," Klaus drawled as he meandered closer, until the heat of him was brushing her spine. "Rethinking those remarks about my cock, Caroline?"

Her eyes slid shut. In for the penny, in for the pound. "No. You're an ass."

His laugh brushed the curve of her shoulder, and her nipples tightened behind her bra. "I've been called worse. We'll have to see what we can do about your option of me, in the future."

Klaus leaned over her shoulder and slipped his hand beneath hers, murmuring a second compulsion that had the model blinking hazily before turning and heading to the elevator. His free hand caught her waist when Caroline went to shift, and her heart kicked in her throat.

"Will you be at Marcel's little soirée in two nights?"

She'd intended to go, because Marcel threw a fun party, and she could always find a dance partner. But with Klaus Mikaelson, Hybrid and Original, are not quite pressed against her, she was rethinking her plans. She was terrible at keeping her mouth shut and alcohol could only make it worse.

"I'm rethinking it."

"Don't," he said softly.

She stepped away from him then and his hand fell away from her hip. Caroline could still feel it. "I've never been one to throw myself on an altar to die."

His grin was bright and boyish, a hint of delivery in his dimples. "No?"

"No."

Those pretty eyes narrowed, and Klaus clasped his hands behind his back. "Then you won't mind saving me a dance."

Annoyed, she spun on her heel and stalked back to the elevator. She was pissed and more than a little turned on, and he hadn't even really touched her. She caught sight of him as the elevator closed behind her, eyes heavy lidded and dark. She'd be willing to bet he wasn't going to let that comment about his dick go, either.

It probably made her a terrible person, but she was looking forward to it. Caroline had never been one to backdown from a challenge. Even if it meant there was a chance she'd end up dead.

It'd probably be worth it.


	43. Chapter 43

**Alien!Klaus invades earth + he sees Caroline thnx!**

This ended up being more horror than I'd anticipated. I hope you like it.

* * *

Caroline remembered their first contact.

She'd holed up in a bunker with her sick mom, watching the news as these strange, human-like beings were greeted by a special team. Her dad was part of that team, and her mouth was dry as dust, watching him shake hands with the stiff looking man. Caroline had been a little disappointed, that they seemed so normal. Tall, thin, dark hair and eyes. Mostly human features.  
They spoke with clipped, slightly strange accents, but overall, they seemed like friendly aliens.

Six years later, and she was regretting those years of relief. Shifting to a slightly better position, she kept her grip on her gun firm and not white knuckled in panic only through years of practice. Sweat dripped down her spine, a mixture of the fever she'd been fighting for the last three days and the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins.

Caroline knew Klaus somewhere nearby, hunting her. What was left of the base was a hollow silence, and she cursed that the ringing in her ears was so loud. Careful, bare toes nearly silent on the concrete, she kept her pace slow as she moved with the wall at her back.

When her mom had died, she'd joined her dad and followed him from base to base, staying as far away from the aliens as she could while he studied and played intermediate for them. Caroline was too big of a target for anti-alien groups to be allowed the normal college experience, so she juggled her language and communication program online. Bill was proud, thinking that she wanted to follow in his footsteps, but that wasn't the future Caroline wanted.

She'd never been able to put a finger on what it was about these pale, dark eyed men who roamed the hallways that left her uneasy. The few times she'd been forced to interact with them they'd been polite, and strangely intent while they spoke to her.

Then the alien's leadership had shown up. Caroline had gleaned the the aliens didn't think of leaders the way humanity did, and she was pretty sure the concepts of democracy had amused them. Like watching children play with toy soldiers.

Their leader had broken the mold of every alien they'd met before. A head of riotous curls, dimples that captivated millions, and an innate magnetism that drew diplomats to him like a moth. He'd even taken a human name, Klaus. He'd brought with him those he'd referred to as his family, a woman with hair as blond as Caroline's own, and a man of dark hair and eyes whose smile devoured.

Even in the privacy of her mind, she'd been wary to name them as her gut had warned. A hunting party. Her proud father had introduced her with his beaming smile, and Caroline couldn't have named what it was about Klaus' smile, the blue of his eyes, that left her so disconcerted.

For next two years, Klaus had walked in and out of her life. At first, it had seemed innocent enough. The occasional question for clarification. A random meeting in hallways. But slowly, she'd started to feel like she was being circled by a predator searching for a weakness. Caroline had put effort into changing up her schedule, for making random decisions that weren't so predictable, but nothing she'd done had shaken him.

It'd alarmed her, how easily he could pull her into a conversation that could swallow the time, until she realized she was late for a meeting. Or how distracting his hands could be, when Klaus was sketching out some detail the scientists wanted about this cluster of that system. Sometimes, she'd find herself absorbed by the sound of his voice, the slightly cajoling tone he used as he drew out the curiosity she'd done her best to bury.

Worse was how he'd started popping into her dreams. Caroline was no stranger to fantasizing, her sex life was super limited thanks to her dad. There was no denying that Klaus was easy on the eyes, but it was the way he looked at her those mornings after, a glint behind his gaze and just a hint of something barely contained, that sent her pulse skipping.

A week ago, she'd accepted a position away from Bill, away from the more active parts of the alien culture immersion project. A chance to take a breather, to live a life not surrounded by soldiers, her every word recorded and stored for analyzing. A chance to follow the dreams she'd promised her mom she couldn't forget.

She hadn't told Klaus she was leaving.

Then the day she was supposed to take transportation off base, everything had gone to hell. One of the scientists had gotten sick. By noon, the entire team was down. It had moved too quickly, personal all too slowly, to quarantine it. Flights had been grounded, personal denied access to leave.

Caroline had sat alone in her room, watching news on her laptop as reports of the virus had broken out across the globe, so many people falling sick. But it had been a single screenshot of Klaus, at the alien consulate in Paris, smiling in the background of a picture that had turned her blood to ice.

It looked like an invasion after all.

An hour later, and the base had gone dark. Yesterday, people had started to disappear. Caroline had been careful not avoid humans and aliens alike, sneaking through the halls and vents she knew so well. It worked in her favor that the base was dark as she skulked around for supplies.

That morning, she'd woken from her hiding place, sweating and shivering, knowing that Klaus had returned. She'd been overly careful, avoiding softly echoing voices, but the fever had only gotten worse. Shivering, she pressed into a corner in the mess hall, listened to the ghosts in her ears and tried to focus.

"You know sweetheart, you've been giving my men fits. I admire your determination but what do you hope to accomplish?"

Caroline set her teeth as Klaus stepped out of the shadows. He'd discarded the perfectly fitted suits she was used to seeing him in. Instead, the fabric absorbed the light in a way she'd never seen, and it looked ridiculously soft to the touch.

"What have you done with everyone else?"

His smile was too white in the dark, and maybe it was her fever, but his canines looked sharp. She shuddered when she looked back at his eyes, at the black veins that ran into his eyes. "The ones who survive the fever will be collected in due time."

She wasn't entirely conscious of pulling the hammer of her pistol, but he stopped moving at the sound. His smile widened, and the dimples just emphasized the blade of his mouth. "I will shoot you."

"But what's the point?" He questioned. "My people have been here for six years, love. We've sown the seeds of our disease into your water, into your very earth. You carry it in your veins, and it's burning you up from the inside out. When you survive it, you'll no longer be quite what you are now."

"So this was an invasion."

Another step. "Of course it was. My people need resources, and humanity is a renewable one. You have been for generations. Did you imagine your Egyptian Pyramids and your Nazca Lines were anything but a map?"

Caroline kept her gun stubbornly leveled. "A map for what?"

His face changed, sudden fangs leaving her dizzy. Their was nothing humane in his eyes now, just an endless pit that threatened to swallow her whole. "Food, love. The same reason we came before, the reason we'll come again. Earth is the perfect breeding ground, and we've come for our harvest."

Her breath hitched into her lungs, and his next step brought the barrel of her gun directly into his chest. She shook her head, knees locking to fight the way the room swayed. "No. No you can't…"

Klaus pushed the gun aside and swept her off her feet. She struggled for a moment, and Klaus made a low shushing sound, plucking the gun from her fingers. "Don't fret so, sweetheart. Do you think I'd let your fate be the same as your species? You with your intelligence, your curiosity?"

Caroline struggled to stay coherent as he walked, brain scrambling uselessly for an escape. Exhaustion was heavy in her bones and the steady heartbeat under her ear was hypnotic. "I'm human."

What might have been a kiss was pressed lightly to the crown of her hair. "You were. Shall I tell you of your new homeworld? What you're becoming?"

She tried to fight the pull of his voice, but it dragged her under as he described her his people, the world he lived in. Caroline slipped into an inky blackness with his promise following her down into the spiral. _You'll make a magnificent predator._


	44. Chapter 44

**Klaroline: Caroline is a werewolf who has to distract Klaus for reasons. Sexy times, please!**

Apologies, no smut here. And it was a smidge angsty. The smut would have made it not short.

* * *

Caroline did not want to be here.

The gallery was too warm, even with the hum of the air conditioners working overtime. New Orleans was humid and sticky, even hours after the sun had gone down. It'd been ten years since she'd breathed in the familiar air of the bayou, stood and watched fireflies blink lazily in the hot summer nights. The heart of her wolf had missed it, until it was a familiar ache in her blood she'd learned to ignore.

If she'd had her way, it'd be another decade before she'd even acknowledge the stare she could feel burning along her spine. Stubbornly, she took a slow sip of the champagne that had turned nearly tepid in her hand. She'd known the moment she'd arrived that he'd been expecting her, which meant that Damon hadn't kept her name off the guest list as she'd demanded.

Idiot.

Bonnie Bennett had sounded resigned, frustrated past even her wealth of patience, when they'd spoken. Once Caroline had heard the details of this truly asinine plan, she'd understand. But any chance she'd had to wiggle out of this ridiculous was squashed the moment she'd been offered a clean slate by the witch. Leaving the bayou had come with a price. Caroline had understood that as she'd buried her mother, Liz's blood black underneath her nails.

But it hadn't just been her responsibilities, her oaths that she'd walked away from. Her relationship had been new and tentative, the clawing possession of her wolf hot in her veins. And it had cost her her mom. And as much as it hurt to be in the same room with those memories, the taste of him lingered on her tongue even a decade later, Caroline would do what was necessary to sever the ties that could keep her beneath the thumbs of the Salvatores.

This private war they fought had been lost years before. Elena was gone, the pack decimated. She was one of the few remaining relics from a battle that no one would remember in a century.

But if paying her debts meant standing in a crowded gallery in a pretty dress, and ignoring the way her skin ached for a man she'd walked away from once before, so be it. She was bait for a plot that would fail. It was a promise and an excuse, a chance to discover if maybe she could stop running.

"You look beautiful, Caroline."

Her lashes fluttered shut for one, precious second as she absorbed the impact of that low voice. Draining her glass, she turned to face the unavoidable confrontation. She'd both dreaded and craved it, these past weeks as she waited for tonight. She'd dreamed of it, woken with sweat slick skin and an arousal that had lingered.

Caroline turned, and let herself absorb the impact of him. He'd looked good all those years ago in Henley's, the familiar tangle of chains and leather against his throat. Tonight he was dressed in a dark suit, the white of his dress shirt crisp and perfect even in the heat. Those curls she'd loved to twist between her fingers, to tug until he shivered against her, were longer than she'd seen then before. Even his eyes were just a touch different, the magic that clung to his skin like a warning leaving just a hint of yellow among the blue.

He'd had finally grown into his magic.

"Klaus," she murmured. "It's been a while."

"So it has," he agreed, gaze skimming down the length of her in pursual that was as thorough as it was quick. Caroline felt the faintest bite of magic as she handed her empty glass to a server, made no attempt to hide the silver chain she'd worn since she was eighteen. It marked her as werewolf, and it marked her as dangerous. "What brings you to my city?"

New Orleans had truly become his city. The events that had left her mother dead, that had created such a gaping weakness in the magic that Esther had once used to cripple her children, Klaus had certainly capitalized on them. What remained of her pack had been ruthlessly pushed back into the bayou, and the ancestral magic that had once held a stranglehold had been reduced to ashes.

Caroline had sat on the pitiful bed in her hotel room in Milwaukee, eyes swollen and chest aching, and she'd watched the famed cemeteries of New Orleans burn with a wide smile. But those memories did not serve her well tonight, not with Klaus watching her with eyes that would miss few weaknesses.

"I was invited," she said simply. Klaus didn't so much as flicker an eyelash, and she felt her lips curl slightly. "But you already knew that."

A slight tilt of his head. "Subtlety is a rare talent."

Caroline nearly snorted. "Is that what it's called?"

A hint of a smile on his face now, a gleam she couldn't place behind his eyes. "I was left under the impression you'd be wearing something a touch more… red."

Her breath nearly caught, at the rumble that deepened his voice. For a single moment, she was thrown back mentally ten years, to Klaus' hands on her skin, his lips at her chest. Her dress that night hadn't been red, but what she'd worn beneath it had.

"I imagine tonight will hold many disappointments," Caroline dismissed. She forced herself to wonder how Bonnie was holding up, instead of wondering what he wore beneath his tux. Bonnie straddled a careful line between the factions in the city, but Caroline did not. Her loyalty had been given years before, and no matter how far she ran, that loyalty hadn't changed.

One day, her wolf would hunt Damon Salvatore like the dog he was.

"Ah," Klaus murmured, gaze dipping to linger on the rich blue that hugged her breasts. "I didn't say it was a disappointment."

Her lips parted, at the hungry way he looked at her, but then his gaze darted behind her and his smile was nearly wolfish. Caroline turned to follow that gaze, and she pressed her lips together to hold her amusement as she caught movements against the shadows. It was clear that whatever distraction they'd hoped her presence would create hadn't worked.

There was a sudden press of heat against her spine, and Klaus was so close she could smell him. Heat and cologne, the slightest hint of sage, and an unmistakable thread of arousal.

She nearly moaned.

"Damon Salvatore remains a fool," Klaus said conversationally against her ear. As if he wasn't sliding calloused fingertips down her bare spine. "But I'll spare his life, since he brought you to me."

As if that was a concession. Living was far more difficult than dying, and Damon, Caroline knew, would find every painful avenue of it. Whatever joy had been possible had been broken the day he carried Elena's body into the bayou.

"And you imagine I wish to be caught?" Caroline said just as softly, feeling the way goosebumps chased each delicate brush of his fingers. She was thankful her dress hid the hard points of her nipples. Klaus was a witch, nearly unbearably powerful, but human noses were weak. For her, his was a drug, and struggled against the urge to press her nose into his throat and drown.

"I think you're far more clever than those old friends of yours have ever realized," Klaus said. "When Bonnie Bennett struck a deal with my family, when the smile and ash of the cemetery still burned in the lungs of my enemies, she was very particular regarding her terms. And when I ground the bones of those responsible for your mother's death, stretched muscle and flesh across fire as they screamed and begged, she took account for you."

"Bonnie is my friend." She didn't turn, couldn't step away from the way he felt against her. She'd known that, had listened to Bonnie's ragged recounting each night.

A soft laugh. "I know. I cannot force you to stay, Caroline, if what you truly wish is to leave."

She didn't wish to leave, but she wasn't certain she could stay. Not yet. She'd learned to forgive, even if she couldn't forget, but some scars never fully healed. But standing with Klaus so close it would take the simplest of motions to settle against him, she was never surer that one day she would.

A slow, feather soft brush of his mouth against her nape sent a shudder down her spine. Her wolf bowed for no one, it recognized no equal but one. Just that one touch, a single caress, and her blood heated.

"But that does not mean I cannot tempt you to stay. To come home sooner." Another kiss, this one against her shoulder. A slight hint of tongue. "Will you let me?"

Yes.


	45. Chapter 45

**Time Travel + KC?**

So sorry this took so long! Mentions of violence, gore, a tiny bit of angst.

* * *

When Bonnie Bennett had told her that time travel wasn't a matter of moving forwards or backwards, but sideways, Caroline had laughed at her. The entire concept seemed impossible. One reality was more than enough. Bonnie had simply shaken her head, that familiar exasperation, and continued on with her little pet project.

Caroline had teased her occasionally, would sit on her back porch in Mystic Falls and debate the concept with her for hours.

"Somewhere there's a me who actually likes Damon? Impossible."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and took a slow sip of her beer, skin flushed in the heat of a Virginia summer. "Probably. Although it's probably more likely that there is a reality where Damon is less of an ass."

Caroline snorted out a mouthful of beer. "You like Damon."

"Doesn't mean I don't realize how ridiculous he can be," Bonnie said with a grin, handing her a napkin. "But it's not every decision that branches, I think. Just the big ones."

"Like what?"

Bonnie purses her lips. "Maybe you're human."

Caroline tipped her head back, stared up at the sunset. "That seems so strange."

"Who knows?" Bonnie shrugged. "It's just a theory. For all we know, certain events are set in stone and are bedrocks of a healthy universe."

"Hey now," Caroline protested, waving her beer. "That's Batman logic, from the comics. Have you been holding out on me?"

Bonnie turned scarlet and spluttered. Caroline had teased her mercilessly, but all the while, a little thought had niggled at her. She'd shoved it to the side, refused to dwell on it. A promise she wasn't certain she'd ever accept.

Caroline treasured that memory. The certainty of her friend that somewhere, things were different. Because for the last fifty years, everything had gone to hell.

Figuratively and literally.

Humanity had learned about vampires, about witches, and the war that knowledge had sparked was devastating. Too many people died. I'm the end, it was humanity that gained a foothold, and what was left of the community had gone deep into hiding.

"They'll kill them eventually," Bonnie had told her one fall day as they hid out in the caves of Caroline's childhood. Mystic Falls smelled of blood and old fires, the woods scared by carnage the air still remembered.

"Who?"

Bonnie looked up from Elena's coffin, her face tired. There was more white than black in her hair now, deep lines around Bonnie's eyes and mouth that spoke of the decades they'd lived. She limped, on cold mornings, her movements hesitant and slow. In her coffin, Elena was still young, with no idea of the hellscape that awaited her.

They'd moved her early, and Bonnie had finagled just enough magic that she'd go undetected. Caroline wasn't sure this was the future that Elena thought she'd wake too, the Salvatores missing, their childhood homes gone. But human Elena had a chance to thrive, in the end. Her humanity would protect her.

"The Originals."

Caroline jerked, and swallowed hard while looking away. It was fall, the leaves brown and red, the occasional splash of yellow. There was little comforting here, the remains of multiple childhoods scattered around her. "Yes."

No one knew when or how they'd gone missing. But it'd become clear when they'd never made a single appearance when New Orleans was ransacked, when humanity had started to win, they'd been taken before the first skirmish.

She'd die that the day they were killed. So would thousands of others. The witches and lone werewolves would be all that was left of the Supernatural legacy. The uncertainty of it, the cold knowledge that she couldn't do anything about it, left dead a knot in her stomach.

Sometimes, Caroline wondered if she'd see her mom again.

"I'm sorry."

Caroline turned to look at Bonnie then. "Why are you sorry?"

Her friend took a deep breath and looked up, eyes wet. "That this happened. That I can't extend my life to help you fight anymore. For everything."

"You're not to blame for other people's choices, Bon Bon. You're my best friend. There isn't anything to forgive."

A sudden wind blew at Bonnie's hair, and Caroline's heart started to pound. Bonnie took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Caroline tried to move, to warn Bonnie that this was too much magic, that the hunters would find them. But she couldn't.

"I made promises too. Please don't forget me."

Oh, Bonnie.

It was her last coherent thought. There was a sensation like her bones melting, then everything melted sideways.

* * *

There was a hybrid watching her.

Caroline glanced down at her burner phone, the small hairs on the back of her neck tingling as she walked down the snow filled street. The world she'd found herself in had been a shock, and she was nowhere near finding her footing. Here, the war that had so decimated her life had raged, but instead of humanity, it was the Originals who had prevailed.

She hadn't been surprised to hear stories of the atrocities committed by the Mikaelson's. The ruthlessness. Whatever understanding of the universe she might have had previously no longer applied here. Humanity was in ruins, carefully cultivated and organized. There were pockets where resistance fighters still held territory, but those were diminishing every year.

Now, whose line you belonged too was everything. Vampires were at the top of the food chain, and it was a ruthless world, where your life was lived at the mercy of the Original who made you. Caroline had done everything she could to avoid letting anyone discover that she belonged to Klaus.

But hybrids were a problem. Whatever magic Klaus had bargained for with the witches, it was the hybrids who could suss out a line just by the scent of a vampire. More importantly, whoever a hybrid roamed, Klaus wasn't far behind.

She needed to get out of the city.

She had been unable to figure out where the universe had changed. It was clear that Klaus had Elena, but Caroline was uncertain about her role. She'd found her grave, set prettily next to her mother's, but that could have meant nothing.

Turning sharply into an alley, she froze. Heart leaping into her throat, lungs stuttering in her chest, she went absolutely still at the sight of Klaus. He was waiting for her, shoulder braced against the alley wall, eyes ringed in yellow.

"Hello, Caroline," he drawled, smile a slow, dangerous blade. "That is what you go by, is it not?"

"Yes," she said shortly, spine iron straight as he pushed off the wall and moved towards her. There was nothing welcoming in his expression, every instinct she had burning in warning. Klaus was angry, and she was the target.

"You're a hard vampire to track down." He said, tone nearly conversational. "I admit, when I received the first report of your existence, I expected you to come to me. Imagine my surprise when you didn't."

"Why would I?"

A hint of dimple left her stomach flipping, and then he was close enough to touch. Her fingers itched to reach for him, to confirm he was real. It'd been seventy years since she'd seen him, felt him, and she found that the monster she'd cultivated to survive craved his touch.

"Why? What other use would you have for this particular face?" Klaus queried, touch deceptively gentle as he dragged a single fingertip along her chin. "Tell me, where did you get it?"

The realization that not only had she known Klaus, that she likely was dead in this world, shook her. Cursing mentally, she pushed his hand away and set her chin stubbornly. "When did I die?"

His eyes flared, yellow taking over the blue entirely. Veins crawled beneath his eyes, and the double fangs that were such a threat sent a hot bolt of lust through her gut. Those feral eyes narrowed, and his head canted as he took a slow breath. She should have been embarrassed by the way she knew he could smell her unexpected arousal, but it was the slight hint of confusion that made her wary.

"A witch can mimic many things," he nearly purred, gaze calculating and dangerous as he stepped so close her breasts brushed his chest. His hands cupped her jaw carefully, and she nearly shuddered at the danger in that delicate hold. "How she looked, how she sounded. The feel of her skin, but I've yet to find one who managed to mimic so accurately the smell of her arousal. Who are you?"

Caroline knew down to her bones, that if he didn't like her answer, he'd kill her. But backing down wasn't a choice. Her hands came up to grip his wrists, nails biting into his skin for all that she made no move to tug him away. "Did you know that Bonnie has a pet theory about time travel?"

She exhaled slowly at the way he went still and watchful, thumbs brushing her cheeks. She didn't the caress as a sign of softening, if anything it heightened her alarm. As if he was indulging a need he couldn't help, that he wouldn't have the chance to sate again.

"Perhaps."

Her gaze narrowed. "Stop being an ass."

The sudden feeling of the brick wall against her spine nearly drove the the air from her lungs. The veneer of calmness was stripped from his face, and his smile was a terrible thing. "Caroline Forbes died warning me about a human uprising that planned on wiping out the supernatural. When I found the remains of her body, they'd cut her into pieces, burned her heart and left her head on a spike for me to find."

Her vampire face crawled to the surface, and she bared her fangs. "We don't know what happened to you in my world. You just disappeared."

"Did I?" He taunted. "Why should I believe you?"

She growled, and he blocked her kick easily. Tossing her head, she glared. "Let go."

"Wishing for death already?"

She head butted him and he snarled, teeth white and sharp near her throat. "Do you know what it's like to die from a hybrid bite?"

She pressed her mouth against his ear, refusing to flinch at the threat. "Of course I do. Twice, in fact. I also know how hard I come with your teeth in my throat, my thigh."

She'd have missed the slight shiver, had they not been locked so tightly together. Squeezing her eyes shut, she wiggled against him. "You want proof? Let me go."

Caroline had almost expected the bite, the sharp burn of his teeth, and she bit her tongue viciously to hold back the whimper. His head lifted a moment later, and he looked nearly dazed, eyes slightly unfocused. She ignored the cool sting, the way her blood slid against her skin as she shoved him back.

Holding his eyes as they refocused, something she couldn't read gathering behind his eyes, she yanked off her jacket, and let it fall to the floor as she reached for her hem. Yanking her shirt off, Caroline spun and showed him the lines of her back.

The scars no vampirism could heal.

There was a long silence, and the burn was starting to hurt when his fingertips grazed across her back. "What is this?"

She bit her lip at the ice in his voice. "I take it the human faction never got this far?"

A breath, then the breadth of his palm spread across the worse of the scarring. "No."

"Bonnie thought magic could eventually counter it, but it would bring too much attention to try. Humanity found a way to damage vampires in a way they couldn't immediately heal. Magic, we think. I got this one, rescuing Bonnie from a witch concentration camp."

He spun her around with no warning, and Caroline hissed a complaint. His face was unreadable as he bit into his wrist and offered it to her. She took it with relief, but the sudden tightening of her chest at her first taste of him, the burning behind her eyes, caught her off guard. She swallowed frantically, until he pulled away. Then, carefully, he pushed her a bloody curl away from her chin.

"Tell me about the Bennett witches thoughts on timetravel."

She licked away the taste of him from her lips, shuddered. "Sideways. She believes it's a matter of going sideways."

This time his hold was almost tender. Something wild behind his eyes. His voice, when he spoke, was filled with a need she'd never heard before.

"Caroline."

Then he wrenched her neck, and her world went black.


	46. Chapter 46

**Like War on Your Tongue**

Written SUPER fast as I needed to de-stress. Hope you like it!

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Caroline stared at the dead body in her hotel room with with a frown. She only had minutes before the sirens in the distance became a problem, but she'd take what she could get. She was fortunate, that she hadn't spent any time in the room, had habitually wiped it clean each morning. Yanking her gloves out of her pockets, she quickly searched the body, spine stiffening as she took in the tattoo inked onto the skin of his forearm.

Cursing, she pushed to her feet and set about making her exit. A drop into her neighboring balcony, a few careful adjustments to disguise, and Caroline slipped into the lobby with no one the wiser as police rushed around. Moving with the crowd, it wasn't until the cool parisian air touched her skin that she separated herself from the crowd. A few blocks on foot, she stepped into a public bathroom with no cameras and she'd shed her disguise, slipping into a different wig and outfit.

It was another half hour, before she felt safe enough to dig out the burn phone from the bottom of her bag. Biting her lip, tucked into a darkened alley, she took a slow breath. Someone had dumped one of Klaus' men into her room.

That was alarming.

Shivering, she worried her lip between her teeth and tried to think. It been two years since she'd seen Klaus, another three years since she'd spent anytime in his bed. God, she'd been so young. Not naive, and not silly, just young. And still she hadn't been able to excise him from her veins. The charming man with the terrible sense of humor had captivated her, the nearly militants dictator had shocked her. Caroline knew crime, had spent her life grifting after her parents deaths had left her on the streets. She was good at it. Slipping from one identity to the next, shedding one life for another, had become second nature, and Klaus had been an unexpected bump in her life.

Who'd have thought one of the most powerful men in Europe liked dive bars and fries? He enjoyed late night ice cream with her, while she wore only his shirt. He was a man who left ridiculously cheesy notes and sketches, who indulged her thirst for knowledge, as if her mere cravings fascinated him. As if she was something precious and _new._

When she'd discovered who and what he was, she'd thrown a vase at his head. Maybe she should have run then and there, slipped away without a trace, but Caroline had been in too deep. She didn't regret that last night spent shouting at him, and then screaming for him as Klaus bent her over a variety of surfaces. She didn't regret leaving an imprint of her lips against his collarbones in the color of her favorite lipstick as she slipped out of his apartment on silent feet.

She'd known then that he'd let her go.

It'd be a lie, to say that she hadn't thought of him often. That the shared glass of champagne at that art exhibit he wasn't supposed to have been at hadn't rekindled all sorts of tangled emotions in her chest. She'd thought he'd written her off, that he'd said hello for mere curiosity, but the look in his eyes as he brushed a kiss across her knuckles as a goodbye had told her differently.

Klaus had forgotten nothing.

Her continued freedom had been her choice, not his. She knew he had the network to track her, probably did keep an eye on her. Someone like Klaus who ran a syndicate feared throughout Europe was more than capable of tracking her down. But he hadn't.

Caroline had left that night because she was pissed that he'd all but lied to her. She'd been furious that it'd hurt when she promised herself just a fling, a chance to catch her breath after her previous con. She hadn't been looking for anything long lasting or permanent and she'd wound up far more emotionally involved than she's wanted to admit. To someone who she hadn't been prepared to handle.

It's been terrifying, to discover all of that along with the fact that Klaus was really Niklaus Mikaelson. Head of the very family she'd done her absolute best to avoid catching their attention.

Now she'd found one of his men dead in her room.

Blowing out a breath, she brushed her thumb lightly over the screen. The corpse's mark had been tattooed instead of branded, which meant he wasn't too terribly far into the organization. But the implications were worrying. She didn't know who had set her up, how much they knew, if the police had a picture of her to hunt.

But she knew who would.

Talking out the number she'd memorized years before, a number she'd never admit being tempted to call in the dark hours before dawn. She'd never admit to those times, skin damp from her exceptions, lips and tongue still trembling from cursing his name as she came. Caroline pressed her back to the cold stone of the alley, and took slow breaths as the line continued to ring. She'd nearly decided to hang up and try again, when a cool, bitingly angry voice cut across the line.

"Who is this?"

She swiped her tongue across chapped lips, exhaled slowly. "Hey. It's me. I take it you've heard, then?"

There was a beat of silence, and then Klaus spoke, voice softer, but no less intense. "Caroline. I've been receiving conflicting reports."

Caroline was grateful for the way he jumped straight to business. She didn't have time for platitudes. She wondered how many of the officers who'd arrived on the scene had been his. If he'd known that she'd rented a room at the hotel. Questions for later. "Dead guy, your tattoo. Cops were enroute when I discovered him. What's going on?"

His next statement stunned her, and her fingers tightened convulsively on her phone.

"Stefan sold out," Klaus said tightly, each word bitten off. "It is unfortunate that he knew of you."

The burning of her lungs was what finally prompted her next breath, a ragged inhale that he had to have heard. There was a wealth of implication in that sentence. A wrenching validation of all the niggling thoughts that had plagued her late at night, the whirlwind of emotions that seeing him two years ago had stirred up. Stefan thought she was important enough that hurting her would hurt Klaus, and the barely contained rage in Klaus' voice confirmed it.

Caroline didn't know what to think. "Was I just bait then?"

"That hasn't been determined," Klaus replied. "Are you still in Paris?"

She pursed her lips before sighing. "For the moment."

"Stefan will take a few days to be dealt with," Klaus told her, a sudden rasp in his voice she didn't understand. "There are holes to plug."

Caroline shivered, knowing the body tonight was just the first of many. She remembered Stefan, with his affable smile. She wondered what his price had been, if had been worth what Klaus would do to him once he had him back in his hands. It was just a matter of time, Klaus would not let this go, would make an example if him.

"You'll need to disappear," Klaus continued as she remained silent. "I can provide you with a safe place, if you wish."

Her eyes slid closed. She'd have liked to say no, was tempted to keep this distance between them. Stepping back into Klaus' world, even on the periphery was a dangerous temptation. It's why she'd gone out of her way to avoid Europe. But she wasn't a child any longer, and five years had done much to wear away the shine of her youth. Klaus might still be too much for her to handle, she might find herself in a true game of cat and mouse, one in which she didn't know who'd win, but she'd take that risk.

"Alright," she said instead of the dozens of questions that lingered on the tip of her tongue. Dragging her teeth down her lip, she sighed. "Alright."

Klaus instructions were swift with a promise that more information would be pending. She stared at the blank screen if her phone for a previous moment after he cut the call, stomach trembling.

 _I'll see you soon, Caroline._

She'd be walking into the belly of the beast.

And she couldn't wait.


	47. Chapter 47

**kc + au where supernaturals are known & the mikaelsons are vamp royalty & caroline is their new vampire publicist :))))**

Well, this got away from me a little bit.

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Caroline blamed Katerina.

Staring at the vampire sitting in her office, trying to explain his reasoning for accidentally eating a few sorority girls, she ground her teeth in frustration. She didn't particularly care that he'd eaten the girls; what she cared about was that he'd done it in public, and in front of cameras. Maybe that was a bit callous of her, but the girls had known what they were getting into.

But cameras meant that footage of the incident, and that became her problem. She really didn't want to deal with it. In the five hundred years since humanity had become aware of the supernatural, both races had been teetering on a careful blade. In the last century, public perception had become an important part of both sides strategy to maintain the current status quo.

Which was where her office usually came in.

But tonight was supposed to be her last night after a decade of solid work. Pressing two fingers between her eyebrows, she tried to quell the headache that had started growing behind her left eyeball since Kol and delivered this idiot into her office with his familiar shit eating grin. That she'd quit that morning had seemed to bother Kol, he'd left her to the mess, whistling, that bastard.

Promising herself that she'd get a snack at her first available moment, she lowered her hand and smiled at the vampire across from her. Two hundred years older than her and coming off a blood high, whatever he saw on her face had him blanching.

Good.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we? This time, perhaps you'll give me a better reason than 'I was hungry.'"

Hours later, Caroline dragged her hand tiredly through her limp curls and tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. Three additionally emergencies had landed on her desk, and the box she'd brought in to pack the last of her things hadn't been touched. If it hadn't been for the fact that it had been Elijah who'd taken her resignation she'd have sworn she was being stalled.

Lips compressed, she toed off her shoes and headed to determinedly locked her office door before turning her cell phone off. The office was silent, the spells she'd demanded after listening to Kol serenade her outside the door for five hours.

If she hadn't had a plane ticket to Bora Bora that was leaving in six hours she'd have already called Bonnie to test out long distance cursing. Kol was riding her last nerve. But that would take an explanation, and she'd had every intention of making that flight. A few weeks of beaches and cabana boys was just what she needed to keep from going on some sort of rampage.

This was particular job was supposed to just have been a temporary thing, a favor to Katerina. Her sire was finicky and a bit of a bitch, but Caroline had found herself enjoying her friendship a few decades after the whole debacle that had gotten her turned. But that had been more of Elena's fault than anyone's, and Caroline liked being a vampire.

Majoring in PR had been a whim, but she'd discovered she was good at it. The camera liked her and she was young enough to relate to the more modern population of humans. More importantly, when she stressed that she didn't think of people as heards of cattle, people believed her.

So when Katerina had called her with what she'd promised had been a temporary position, just an emergency patch job until they could find someone, she'd reluctantly agreed. What Caroline never could have expected was that the family that needed someone to handle their struggling PR Team was the Originals.

That had been jarring, but Katerina had insisted that they'd mostly stay out of her way if she just did her job. Reluctantly she'd stick around, and somehow found herself still there a decade later. It did have its perks. New Orleans was a fabulous city, the pay was good, and her closet had never looked better.

If only the Mikaelson's had actually left her alone to work as she'd been promised. It'd taken weeks before Elijah had stopped trying to offer suggestions on her spreadsheets. Rebekah was all bitch, but one who was at least mostly manageable. She liked to be considered as the saner of her siblings, and Caroline worked hard to make that angle stick.

Kol liked to fling himself into her office chairs and practice his innuendo, waiting until she was heading out before dropping the real reason he'd come by. The third time he'd left her scrambling to deal with an emergency she'd called Bonnie and had the wards on her office adjusted. Then she'd hired a minion to troll the internet looking for any mention of Kol in any capacity. And she'd incentivized the position, making the bonus dependent on avoiding bad publicity.

The first time Kol had bounced off the invisible barrier in her doorway had been a moment she honestly cherished. She hadn't bothered to look up, had merely waved as he stared at her from the floor and gone back to work.

Then she'd met Klaus.

Compressing her lips, she pushed those thoughts to the side and set about emptying her desk. She'd taken home her emergency heels a few days ago, had cleared out her stash of comfy flats. Now it was just a matter of clearing out the remaining personal effects and she was done.

This time tomorrow, she'd be sipping Bloody Mary's with little umbrella's while the sun shown bright and happy around her. Humming quietly under her breath, she jolted when her door swung open. Head twisting, Caroline stared in surprise as Klaus strolled into her office. He looked a little rumpled, curls a touch unruly, and her stomach dropped at his appearance. Eyes darting to the clock, her mouth tightened.

"What are you doing here?"

Both of his brows rose as he casually closed the door behind him, shutting out the low murmur of the house. "In a hurry, sweetheart?"

Caroline wished she'd kept her heels as his gaze dragged down her body, lingering on her bare feet for a heartbeat to long. Keeping things formal was a struggle, and any casual intimacy between them was dangerous to her sanity. Making a noise of frustration, she braced her hip on her desk and attempted to brazen it out.

"Nope," she said. "I'm basically packed and good to go. Please tell me you didn't blow off those meetings in Barcelona. Elijah will have a conniption."

Something dangerous flickered across his gaze, mouth tightening at the corners. "Elijah is the one who told me you tried to resign."

Gaze narrowing, she straightened, brain focusing in on the 'tried'. "What? What do you mean, tried?"

Klaus smile was too slow and dangerous. "The final employment decisions are mine, Caroline."

Both of her brows arched upwards in disbelief. "You must be joking."

Amusement did nothing to lessen the intensity behind his eyes. "I'm afraid not."

Setting her teeth, Caroline studied the set of his jaw, stomach flipping into unexpected knots. "I'm happy to print off a copy of my resignation letter. It'll take just a moment."

"I'm not interested in your resignation, love."

Head cocking, she arched a brow. "Do you think I won't just leave?"

Smiling, he settled into one of her chairs, fingers folding across his abdomen as he stared up at her, completely comfortable. "Do you think I'd allow either outcome?"

Temper leaving her cheeks hot, Caroline bared her teeth. "You don't get a say in what I do, Klaus."

He laughed. Grinning, he shook his head. "Now that's not entirely true, is it? But we'll get to that. Tell me why you're leaving."

She blinked at him, the irritable intensity that burned in his gaze with golden sparks. Klaus could be intimidating when he wished, and when he focused in on someone it always felt like the air went out of the room. This was no different, the muscles at the base of her neck tightening the longer he stared at her.

"This was supposed to be a temporary position."

Klaus angled his head. "But one you've enjoyed."

She snorted, arms crossing. "Sure, at times. But your family isn't exactly a picnic."

Dimples, as he shrugged. "You've handled yourself well. I've particularly enjoyed watching you wrangle Kol. I like your mean."

"Thank you," she said flatly, ignoring the heat in her cheeks. "I still quit."

A quick flash of teeth and he motioned to her chair. "And I still haven't heard your reasoning. Think of this as an exit interview."

Irritated, because getting out of this office with Klaus in a mood was a fairly pointless, she sat. Klaus continued to watch her, gaze heavy against her skin.

"I have a flight I'm not missing," she warned him. His gaze narrowed, and he made a noise low in his throat that did nothing for her blood pressure.

"Are you not happy, love?"

"You don't care if your minions are happy," Caroline said in disbelief.

"Now, that's hardly a fair statement."

She rolled her eyes. "You enjoy people being afraid of you, Klaus. People subject to terror aren't happy."

"It is fairly expedient, to avoid being questioned," he agreed unapologetically. "But it is not always the correct tool. And it is rare, Caroline, that you allow yourself to be intimidated. Fear isn't the scent that lingers on your skin when I'm near."

Her nails dug into her thigh, as she struggled not to blush at the slight deepening of his voice. Huffing, she sidestepped the innuendo in his voice. "When I agreed to fill in, this was a temporary role."

"So you've said," he mused.

"Even by vampiric standards, a decade is a bit much for a temporary position," Caroline said in exasperation.

"For some," Klaus agreed without batting a lash. "But you're still adjusting your expectations of time."

"What does that mean?"

Klaus stood then, hands clasped behind his back. He didn't move towards her, but her breath caught anyway. "Give me your demands."

"What?"

A hint of a smile, as his tongue snaked across his lips. Heat flushed at her throat, and she set her teeth in frustration. This was why she needed some space. This ridiculous attraction to Klaus wasn't at all useful, and if she hadn't had Bonnie swearing that the spells she'd cast in her apartment would keep even an original from dream walking in her head, she'd have been alarmed with exactly how explicit her dreams had become. She'd had a terrible dry pull, and she didn't plan on just looking at those cabana boys.

If she could get out of this damn office.

"Has it occurred to you, Caroline, that the reason we haven't replaced you is because we haven't found anyone better yet?"

"Seriously?" She groaned, shoving a loose strand of hair away from her face. "You mean you hadn't anyone else crazy enough to stick around."

"Perhaps," he murmured. A thoughtful, heated glance from beneath his lashes as he watched her. "But regardless of circumstance, you are the best for the job, and we'd like you to stay."

Caroline studied him suspiciously. "You said that in a way that almost makes it sound like you think you're giving me a choice."

"Did it?" Klaus drawled, gaze shifting into something almost teasing. "Perhaps I am. Think about while you're on your vacation, love. You're in an excellent place to negotiate."

Caroline watched him leave with a jaw gone slack with surprise. Klaus didn't negotiate. He didn't even ask nicely. It's why her lingering crush frustrated her. Klaus was an ass. He pushed and bullied, and occasionally murdered to get his way. It was just that sometimes, those moments when he teased or attempted to cajole, she sort of enjoyed him.

Setting her teeth, she slipped on her shoes, grabbing her box and strode out of the mansion with determined footsteps. She had a month of a beach vacation in front of her and she knew, she just knew, that wondering just what he meant by negotiate was going to bother her.

Damn the man.


	48. Chapter 4: Part 3

**Prompt idea: a continuation of the two short drabbles where Caroline goes to klaus for comfort bc of Silas and falls asleep on him then wakes up a couple hours later and feeds off him and he convinces her to stay the night.**

This took longer than expected but I hope you liked it Nonny!

* * *

Caroline chewed on her thumbnail in an old, nervous habit. The bitter taste of her nail polish had her finally letting go, breath escaping in a rush. It was a Friday afternoon, she'd skipped school, and now she was two towns over debating her next course of action.

She was hungry, but she wasn't starving. She'd had an extra blood bag two night's ago, knowing she was going to attempt this. It'd been the morning after…. after, that she'd realized just how vulnerable she'd let herself become. Allowing Damon to be her main source of food left her jittery inside, and as much as it rankled, blood bags weren't practical.

It'd rankled, but Klaus had been right, when he'd called her out on her exhaustion. Chewing slowly on her lip, she wondered at her insanity, going to him for help. Her nap on his couch had been comfortable, but waking, entangled in his sheets and sprawled across his chest had been more so. She'd known that he was awake, but he'd lain their in the bed with her for several more moments, only moving when she'd finally worked up the gumption to deal with the situation she'd found herself in.

Neither of them had brought up the orgasm he'd coaxed from her as he'd handed her a blood bag and tracked down her shoes. It was best if she didn't think of it or the way he'd held her after. Klaus could be any number of things to her, but tender and careful were not two of them. She couldn't allow him to slip past her defenses, to tempt her. But knowing of all the terrible things he'd done to her friends, that he'd done to her, were harder to use as a mental shield when he held her.

Taking another deep breath, her spine stiffened as she caught a familiar scent. Twisting around, she glared at Klaus as he sauntered her direction. He hadn't worn a coat, even in the blustering wind, and he still managed to look surprisingly good.

"Hello, sweetheart."

Gaze narrowed, she scowled. "Did you follow me?"

A grin tugged at his mouth as he settled himself next to her on the bench. It was a strangely familiar position for them, and she set her teeth against the pull of the heat of him. "Not today."

Which didn't mean he hadn't followed her in the past. Her fingers curled into fists on top of her thighs, and he tipped his head in her direction. "I killed those who'd thought to hunt you, but we both know that was just the beginning."

She hated that he was right. "Yeah, well, I can take care of myself."

He noncommittal noise, and she turned away from him with a tight jaw. She was tempted to stalk away, but then she'd be forced to head home without at least an attempt to feed from a human. Frustrated that today of all days he'd somehow tracked her down, she'd nearly talked herself into leaving when he finally spoke again.

"What brings you so far from Mystic Falls, love?"

"I don't spend all my time there," she deflected, voice exasperated.

"As delightful as that knowledge is you seemed lost in thought, earlier. Something bothering you?"

Caroline quietly cursed his ability to read her and opened her mouth to deflect, and closed it instead. Carefully, she peered at him from beneath her lashes, and mused on a different possibility. She knew he'd help her, she just wasn't sure what asking him would mean. Klaus turned to meet her suspicious gaze, and the slight smile on his lips died.

"Caroline?"

She caught her lip tightly between her teeth for a heartbeat before sighing. "Were sort of friends, right?"

Both of his brows arched high, something nearly calculating behind his gaze. "Of a sorts."

The way his voice had deepened, gaze flickering across her lips, sent a flush of decidedly unfriendly heat through her veins. Clearing her throat, she narrowed her gaze in warning. "Klaus…"

"What do you need, Caroline?"

She'd worry about the rumble beneath his words later. Shifting away, not quite willing to hold his gaze, she drummed her nails on the bench and struggled to find the best way to explain. The realization that Klaus wouldn't require one, that he merely needed to know that it's what she wanted, sent an unfamiliar pang of anxiety through her chest. Wetting her lips, she glanced at him from beneath her lashes to find him still watching her with an unblinking focus.

"I was thinking… about learning to feed, off something other than blood bags."

Klaus didn't so much as flicker an eyelash. "You're worried about killing someone."

Slowly, she shook her head. "I know when to stop."

How the blood changed on her tongue. When the heart started to labor. She would never forget that carnival, the way she still sometimes woke dreaming of his death.

"One day, you'll tell me what it is about compulsion that leaves you so wary," Klaus said softly. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday."

"Good," he said as he stood. "Your control will last longer that way."

Then he offered her his hand. Caroline opened her mouth and then shut it. His mouth curved upwards.

"Come, Caroline. I have a few hours. More than enough to teach you the basics."

Slowly, she let him pull her to her feet. "Just like that."

"Of course," Klaus drawled. "As you said, we're friends."

But something behind his eyes, something about the glitter there, it warned her to be cautious. Not because she thought he'd hurt her, not then, but that every time he met her hesitations with assurance, each opportunity she gave him to be there, was another stepping stone across her defenses. Klaus wasn't interested in being just friends, even if he was being a surprisingly good one. She needed to be careful, not to expect him to be there, not to look for him every time she needed help.

The day she did was a day that she'd have let him in too far.

But that wasn't today, and this was something she needed to learn. Setting aside her concerns to be analyzed later, she nodded. "Thank you."

A long, lingering glance, and he turned away, pulling her with him. And it was with a jolt that she realized he'd kelt her hand secured in his possession and she didn't mind as much as she should. Forcing herself to listen as Klaus to start talking, Caroline wondered if she'd gotten in over her head when she wasn't looking.


	49. Chapter 48

**Anything featuring a darker/kickass Caroline and an in awe Klaus. I need to cleanse my brain of mommy Ca** roline

Edit: JFC, I don't know that the hell happened here. Stupid posting from my phone and eating text. Apologies for those who say the original two sentences and the wonky lack of paragraphs!

This didn't go as dark as I'd hoped, but I hope you like it anyway, anon!

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"Well now, aren't you a surprise?"

Caroline looked up at the amused, British drawl. The fall sunshine was still warm, and she was taking advantage of her Fall Break to do some SAT studying. The warm afternoon was utterly still, and so she'd spread her study material along her back porch. She tensed as she took in Klaus, bare toes pressing against her calves.

She hadn't seen him in person, but she little doubt of who he was. Elena had described him to her while sobbing after they'd found her alive, and Stefan had offered the occasional clipped detail. Blue eyes, pretty dimples, angelic curls bright in the sunshine, and lips that promised sin. But no one had told her he was handsome, and his looks hit her low in her belly.

He smiled, as if he knew it.

"Why?"

An arched brow, hands slipping into the pockets of his dark jeans as he moved up the steps of her pour her to lean against a beam. "Why?"

Mouth dry, but unwilling to cower, she twisted her pen and met his gaze. "What could possibly be surprising about me?"

A hint of teeth as he studied her. "I hear you killed Damon."

Caroline compressed her lips, stared at him defiantly. She didn't regret that, at all. And if this monster thought she was going to apologize…

"Such suspicion on your face," Klaus murmured. "Don't fret, love. I've no interest in collecting revenge for that particular vampire. I'm am curious however, where Stefan has gone off too. I can't imagine he was pleased with your little act of defiance."

She tilted her head, considered how best to respond. Finally, she decided the truth couldn't hurt her in this regard. "He's in the Salvatore Tomb."

"Clever," he mused, head tipping back to stare at the tree tops. They had just started to hunt at the fall colors, and Caroline thought them pretty. She didn't know what to think that this monster appreciated them as well. "You'll have to leave him there, or he'll attempt some sort of revenge. And desiccation is a slow way to die."

Caroline held her tongue through force of will. She'd already tried reasoning with Stefan once, and only the strength of Bonnie's magic locking him into the tomb had kept her safe. She wondered how much Klaus knew of that encounter.

"So now I'm left to contend with a witch, a vampire and a Doppelgänger. You've left yourself in an precarious position, sweetheart."

"Elena wants a life."

"Pity, that we don't always get what we want."

Caroline closed her study materials and stood. It was possible that Klaus was here to kill her, but letting that fear rule her would get her nowhere. It had taken hours to talk Elena and Bonnie around to her plan, Elena's heartbreak at Stefan's imprisonment clouding her friends thinking.

Klaus looked at her, the blue of his eyes just flecked with yellow and she took a bracing breath. She was on vervain. Bonnie was expecting her in an hour.

"Everything that I've heard about you said that your smart," Caroline said tightly. "I don't see how killing Elena would be the smart move."

"Careful," he warned.

She ignored the warning. "Elena agreed to donate the blood you want so badly as often as is safe."

"I don't need a bargain, to get what I want from the Doppelgänger."

"Yes," she said softly. "You do."

A heartbeat, and then his fingertips were resting casually beneath her collarbones, the hot scent of his wolf thick in her nose. Barefoot, there were only a few inches between their height, and he tipped his chin to stare into her eyes. "You think to threaten me?"

"Katherine was very forthcoming about your personal brand of torture," Caroline managed, voice barely shaking. "None of us will live like that."

His thumb ghosted across her pulse point. "One bite, and you'd die in agony, and that'd be considered a mercy compared to dear Katerina's future."

"And you'd never find Elena."

His smile was amused. "And how do you plan on hiding her?"

"Katherine," Caroline said softly. "Wasn't a witch."

His smile faded, gaze bleeding gold. "Tell me why I should kill all of you. Starting with your Sheriff mother?"

She curled her fingers into fists. "Because we're offering you what you want."

Klaus studied her for a long moment, and Caroline felt the executioners ax hovering over her head. She didn't expect the sudden laugh, the flicker of something wild. "Very well, Caroline. I will agree to your arrangement, but I have demands of my own."

Wary now, she let her fingernails bite into her palms, to keep from flinching at another caress of fingertips against her skin. "And those are what?"

"Elena will deliver her blood to me monthly. I'll make the arrangements. We'd hate for something to happen with the delivery and give the unfortunate impression that you've broken our deal."

She gave a single nod. "Fine."

His teeth were white behind the red of his lips as his smile widened. "When I leave Mystic Falls, you will come with me."

She jerked out from under his touch. "No."

"You're a smart girl, Caroline. Did you imagine I'd allow this sort of agreement without my own collateral. I can't imagine the witch or the doppelgänger were delighted at the idea of bargaining. You'll be a small insurance policy. If they break our deal, your death will last nearly as long as Katerina's torment. Unless, of course, you're willing to send the doppelgänger with me?"

She ground her teeth and he laughed, finally stepping away from her. Her skin burned where he'd touched her and she felt cold, even in the sunshine.

"I'll see you in a week, Caroline. I'll expect your answer then."

Caroline glared at his back as he strolled away. A breeze finally kicked up, pushing her hair across her face and scattering her papers, but it was the mess at her feet that bothered her. It was that wild, lingering delight as he'd watched her just before he'd walked away.

As if he'd been pleased, by her performance.

She needed to talk to Bonnie.


	50. Cupcake Distractions

This follows Pocket Full of Stones.

* * *

Klaus' kitchen had become her territory.

It wasn't like he actually used it. Cooking and baking weren't particularly high priority activities for the family, and other than the occasional Elijah ordained dinner that turned into mayhem, the kitchen went unused. It suited her perfectly.

It was a crime, to waste such a gorgeous space.

Particularly on those nights she stayed over, and some minion or other interrupted them with some crisis management. Caroline rarely managed to sleep once he'd left to remove heads, and instead made her way downstairs to bake. Thankfully, Kol could be taught, so the time she'd woken to find only crumbs remaining of the cupcakes she'd left out to cool hadn't been repeated.

But tonight, even baking didn't really cure her boredom. Klaus had his collection of siblings had been gone for just over two weeks, and she was a little perturbed at how much she missed him. She hadn't planned to crash at his mansion while he was gone, but a pipe had burst in the apartment above hers. Between the minor flooding and construction work, she'd been annoyed and restless. But it had been the unexpected invasion of ants that had her packing a bag and making herself comfortable in his room.

The series of text messages and complaints she'd sent Klaus had led to a truly spectacular round of phone sex. Caroline could deal with any number of creepy crawly bugs, but ants were where she drew the line. Klaus had been quite willing to assist in taking her mind off of the horror of finding them floating in the river in her bathroom.

Now it was Sunday night, she had three dozen cupcakes cooling on the kitchen island, and she was bored out of her mind. Reaching for the wine bottle she'd opened, she topped of her glass with a sigh. It wasn't even the lack of sex that was bothering her, though that one bout of phone sex had been fun, but she found herself actually missing Klaus. Usually he'd stroll into her domain once she'd gotten the first batch of cupcakes into the oven and they'd spend the next hour companionably chatting while she flipped through cookbooks and he sketched.

She found that she missed it, now that he wasn't here. Caroline hoped he was ripping someone's face off. Grumpily, she flipped open her newest cookbook and moodily perused the pages, irritated at herself. Determined to ignore the unexpected loneliness, she buried herself in her lists and possibly recipes.

"Should I expect you to have taken over my closet the same way you've helped yourself to my kitchen?"

Caroline froze, fingers hovering over a page, before she tilted her head to find Klaus watching her from the doorway. The heat in his gaze belayed his relaxed posture, and his tongue snaked out to wet his lips as his his gaze lingered on the expanse of bare leg her shorts left bare.

Unable to stop the bright smile at seeing him, she forced herself to shrug nonchalantly and ignore the flare of heat as his gaze. "I'm sure you'd manage to find somewhere for your clothes, if I did. It's not like I'm kicking you out of your bed."

Klaus pushed off the doorjamb and smiled slowly, dimples cutting deep. "Now, that would be a bit counterproductive, wouldn't you say, love? Particularly with how determinedly you starfish across every available inch of me…"

She pressed her mouth against his, as soon as he was close enough, cutting off his teasing words. Winding her fingers through his hair, she kissed him until his fingers slid down her spine to cup her ass, his mouth open and hot against hers.

"You don't complain," she pointed out a touch breathlessly, nails dragging against the fine hairs at his nape.

"You're usually naked," he returned, lips moving across her jaw to her ear. "Why would I?"

Shivering at the scrape of teeth against her skin, Caroline pressed closer, hand moving to delve under his shirt. She hummed at the way his abdomen twitched underneath her palm, and her head fell back with a sigh, encouraging his mouth against her skin.

"Since I have a no sex where I bake rule, you should take me to bed," she murmured, hand moving even lower, fingers brushing just inside the waist of his pants. He laughed against her pulse point, and she shivered as he encouraged her to wind her legs around his hips as he lifted her.

She went in for another kiss, this one almost lazy,with slow, welcoming brushes of their mouths. The aggravation from before melted further away with every kiss, and even the heat of her arousal couldn't push aside the sudden feeling of contentedness. But as Klaus started up the stairs to their room, each step rolling her against him, she decided to examine those feelings later.

They'd be there tomorrow.


	51. Chapter 49

**Random Snippet #22: Dancing On the Line**

Found this sitting in my WIP folder, from the last AU Week. I don't remember why I didn't finish it then, but here you go! (The timeline is probably all kinds of wonky, but whatever.) Set shortly after the night Caroline almost dies from Klaus' biting her.

A strange bit of hurt/comfort. Casual mentions of murder.

* * *

Caroline ran.

Her sleepy Saturday morning had erupted with blood and her mother's screams. Liz' shouting hadn't been of pain, but warning, and Caroline had done as her mother had ordered. Her right side was on fire, and her bare feet protested sharply at each quick impact, but she kept going.

It'd been a concern, once they'd started to think through their grief that Bill hadn't kept it quiet that his daughter had been turned. Liz had sat her down with grim eyes, warned Caroline softly that some of her father's friends would never see her as anything but a monster.

"You saw Steven's face."

Caroline swallowed and nodded, spoon moving listlessly through her rapidly congealing cereal. "Yeah. I did."

Liz looked away for a long moment. "I told Steven it wasn't your doing, but I don't know how convinced he was that you are safe. Odds are, he'll hold his tongue, but I don't know if Bill was quiet about why he was visiting."

"He was helping Tyler to gain control over his change," Caroline said tonelessly.

"Sounds about right," Liz said wearily. "Your father was obsessed with control. I need you to promise me, honey, that if I ever tell you to run, you go. No questions asked, no argument. You run."

Wary, Caroline looked at her mother. "Mom…"

Blue eyes steely, Liz sipped her coffee. "These people that your father ran with, they aren't the reasonable sort. They won't hurt me, but they'd stake you without thought. You run, Caroline, when I tell you too."

Out her window and over the fence, the sudden white-hot pain in her side followed by an explosion of sound told her she'd been lucky to escape. They'd flanked the house, had expected Liz to warn her.

Dodging around a tree, she screamed in surprise and pain as she slammed into something solid. They both should have gone down with the impact, but a solid arm wrapped around her hips, and she sucked in a breath as her nose brushed against warm skin.

Klaus.

Relief was quickly followed by unease. She hadn't spoken to Klaus since the night she'd nearly died. The burn of his bite was a painful memory, the sharpness of betrayal when Tyler left her with Klaus without a second glance still stung.

She'd been left to die with a monster.

"Out for a morning run, sweetheart?"

For all that his words could be construed as teasing, the tenseness of his muscles and the rasp in his words told a different story. She pushed against his chest and ignored the pinprick of wistfulness as he released her. Klaus was many, many things, but despite his words to her, he'd proven safe would never be one of them.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline demanded.

He continued to stare behind her with narrowed eyes, his attention caught by something she couldn't hear. "I enjoy mornings and I heard someone running. I thought I'd investigate."

She opened her mouth and then closed it with a snap as she realized he was right. She'd ran further than she'd realized. Caroline cursed, and took a quick step away. She needed to head to the boarding house, check the blood supply and figure out how to contact her mom.

Klaus finally looked away from what had held his attention, gaze dark as he took in her bloody nightwear. Caroline was thankful she'd worn a dark tank top and shorts, even if it was apparent she wasn't wearing a bra. But there was nothing sexual in his perusal, just a growing violence as his gaze lingered on her side.

"You're still bleeding."

Caroline lowered her chin and cursed "Dammit. Vervained buckshot is such a bitch."

Klaus caught her hand before she could move to tug her shirt up. Her eyes flashed to his, and her heart lurched at the dangerous glint behind his eyes as he watched her, pulse skittering at the memory of the last time he'd worn that expression. Stubborn, chin angling up, she glared at him.

"Let go."

"When," he asked, voice a blade. "Did you learn that particular tidbit? Alaric didn't shoot you."

Caroline tugged at his hold. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Klaus' expression turned inscrutable. His voice had lost none of its edge when he spoke again. "Who is hunting you?"

"Also, none of your business. My life is none of your concern, Klaus."

"Be careful, Caroline."

She bared her teeth. "Why, you going to bite me again?"

Her pulse kicked at the yellow that ringed his gaze, but sudden shouting jerked her head around. Before she could pick a direction to flash, her feet left the ground and the world blurred. Caroline held herself stiff, and when they came to a stop, her mouth ran bone dry at the sight of Klaus' home.

He set her down, and she set her jaw as he stepped around her. Klaus opened the door, pausing to glance back where she was standing awkwardly on the porch. "You can run along to the boarding house if you'd like. I'm sure you can find blood, what you need to deal your wounds. If you're careful, the hunters won't pick up your trail from here and once they step foot on my property, they won't be leaving."

She curled her fingers into fists, nails pressing into her palms, and he arched a brow at her mutinous face. His eyes softened, voice lowering.

"Or you can come inside and let me assist you. Your choice, Caroline."

Caroline hesitated, torn. The last time she'd dug out buckshot on her own, it'd hurt like a bitch. Doing it left handed would be worse. Stefan and Damon were missing, and Klaus had ensured Tyler was long gone, again.

She didn't want his help. But she hadn't fought so hard for her life to let her pride ruin it now. Klaus waited her out, silent and outwardly unconcerned. Only the yellow in his eyes and the grip on the door gave him away. Taking a deep breath, Caroline stepped forward and paused next to him. Lifting her gaze, she met his squarely, jaw set.

"To be clear, I'm not any less pissed at you."

A ghost of a smile, dangerous for all that it merely hinted at his dimples. "I'd hardly expect anything less."

She didn't flinch, although she wanted too. Tyler hadn't understand why she was pissed. He'd been hurt by her cold facade and angry words. It'd had sat like lead in her stomach, that he'd returned to Hayley, but she'd refused to bend. It was one thing to swallow her pride and to fight for her life. It was to be abandoned to her fate, to fight alone.

Tyler had done what he thought was best.

Part of her despised him for it.

"You need blood," he said behind her as she walked into the sitting room.

"Only if it's in a bag," she replied firmly. She didn't expect that low noise of agreement or for his footsteps to lead away from her. Caroline sat gingerly on the couch, didn't care if she bled on his furniture. The rug she'd laid on while dying was gone, and her toes curled against the cool wood.

She felt a little naked, in her sleep shorts and tank, feet bare and stinging as they healed. Gingerly, she lifted the ruined side of her shirt and carefully wiped at the seeping wounds, lips pressed tightly together.

Footsteps caught her attention, and Klaus stepped back inside. One hand held a blood bag, and the other a dark towel and what might have been tweezers. He handed her the former as he crouched at her hip.

"If you're lucky, the blood will push the rest of the shot out."

She took the bag with a nod, heart fluttering as she read B-Positive across the front. Determinedly not thinking of how or why, she forced herself to only think of blood. It wasn't hard. She didn't bother with her usual neat habits, her wound leaving her hungry. Eyes sliding shut, she ate in gulps until the bag was dry, lowering it once she'd finished.

She opened her eyes, tongue swiping out to catch the last of the blood, and stilled as her gaze collide with Klaus'. He sat motionless, skin drawn taut across the lines of his cheekbones. But it was the hybrid gold of his eyes, burning with a desire she didn't know how to comprehend.

Then Klaus blinked, and she sucked in a breath, forcing her vampire back down. Flushed from blood and an aching awareness, she hissed when he moved her shirt to get a look at her wound. The rumbling noise he made in response helped neither of her reactions. Neither did the careful way his fingers glided across her skin.

"It looks like I'll have to dig a few out after all. Unless you'd like to try a bite from me."

Her nails cut into her palm at his casual offer. Klaus watched her from beneath his lashes, and she glared at him. Setting her teeth, she turned her face away. "It's fine."

She kept her eyes firmly on the ceiling as he shifted around. The metal was cold against her skin, and she sucked in a breath as he inserted the tweezers. Klaus was quick, but it burned anyway.

"Tell me about the hunters."

Caroline dug her fingers into her thigh. "Why?"

"I occasionally enjoy knowing the people I kill."

She hissed out a breath as the first piece of shot was dropped onto the floor. It looked like it was made of wood instead of steel or lead, and she licked her lips. "I don't know them. But they might have known my dad. My mom's still with them."

"How many?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

A moment of silence and two more pieces of shot joined the first. Her eyes watered, and the smell of her blood was heavy in the air.

"It doesn't matter," he said softly. "There aren't enough." Her breath hitched at the implied violence. His thumb brushed across her wounds, and he made a low noise. "One more, sweetheart."

Taking his warning for what it was, she squeezed her eyes shut. This one hurt, and she bit down on her knuckles to hold in her cry. When Klaus finished, he wiped at her skin as she shuddered. The blood had helped, and the worst of it disappeared in a matter of moments.

"You'll need another blood bag."

"I can get one later," Caroline said stubbornly, hips shifting away from as him. Her gaze reluctantly returned to his just as he lifted his bloody fingers to his mouth and licked them clean. Her lips parted, heart slamming into her throat.

"Why?" He questioned mildly. "I have what you need."

She licked her lips, tried not to shudder at the way he watched her. "Why do you have blood bags?"

Klaus stood without answering, head tilted. "What bargain will we need to strike, for you stay here while I deal with this?"

She pushed to her feet, eyes flashing. "My mom…"

Fingers that still smelled of her blood pressed lightly against her lips and Caroline jerked back. Klaus followed her, and his other hand reached into his back pocket to offer her his phone. "Call your mother. Assure yourself that she is fine."

She paused, fingers hovering over his cell. "Why? What do you get from this?"

An arch of his brows. "Perhaps I'm attempting to make amends."

"I doubt that."

His smile was amused, and he pressed his phone into her hand. "Noted. There is blood in the kitchen, and you are welcome to make yourself comfortable in any of the rooms. I'm sure we can find you a new top."

Caroline stepped back into his space, eyes narrowed. He didn't flinch from her perusal, his body remaining relaxed. "If my mom doesn't answer, you can't keep me here."

"I won't," he said. "But if she does, will you stay?"

She glared at him, before lowering her eyes to the phone and rapidily typing out her mom's cell number. If that didn't work she'd try the house and then the station. She wouldn't allow herself to think about what any of this meant, not now.

The phone started to ring, and she took a slow breath. "Fine. But this doesn't mean I forgive you."

Her mom's voice came over the line just before it clicked over to her voicemail, and she squeezed her eyes shut in relief. When she opened them, Klaus was watching her with eyes that saw too much. His lips curved as his head tilted and he stepped away.

Even over the sound of her mother's demands that she not come home, that she stay safe, she heard his promise as Klaus left.

"I know where to start now, sweetheart. You'll be home by dinner."

Taking a deep breath, stomach a knotted mess, she determinedly headed for the kitchen to find that blood as she assured Liz that she was safe. She would see what kind of bathrooms he had in this place, do her best to ignore that she'd almost died here. And maybe she hadn't forgiven him, but if he kept her mom safe, she'd think about it.


	52. Chapter 50

**goldcaught asked: kc + "caught you changing and you have wings bound on your back" fallen angel au**

 **AU, set sometime after after the ritual that freed Klaus from his curse.**

* * *

Caroline's fingers tug into the sun warmed earth, head dipping low as she shuddered through the agony of her change. The sun was slowly setting, the not quite dusk sky still warm and vibrant. All around her, the leaves were changing from green to red and gold, the first fingers of autumn a wild canopy of color brilliant against the deepening sky.

Head dropping low, a pained whine escaped her as her spine violently spasmed against her will. She'd put off changing too long and now her body was punishing her, but the move back to her mom's hometown had left her uneasy. Mystic Falls was lovely enough for small town USA, and was supposed to be a fresh start for them after the horrors of the past few years. Now that Bill was dead, and this time Caroline made certain he'd stay that way, a chance to blend in and be normal.

But the pretty town had an undercurrent that bothered her. There hadn't been a new missing person's case since her mom had started her new job as a deputy, but Caroline had seen the stack on Liz's desk. It was an unusual number of files for such a small town, and there hadn't been a shred of new evidence in months. Cold cases weren't her mom's specialty but the Sheriff hadn't cared. Caroline wasn't certain who Alaric Saltzman was but anyone who brushed off missing kids either had something to hide or was incompetent.

Caroline was pretty sure she knew which she was betting on. Particularly since she'd finally figured out the occasional scent of old blood and the sweetness of magic in his office meant. Sheriff Saltzman was involved with a vampire.

Spine arching in a violent pulse, she bit through her bottom lip to muffle her scream as her wings finally burst through her back in an explosion of bone and muscle. She panted heavily, arms trembling as she struggled to keep from collapsing onto the ground. For a moment she ignored the blood sliding down her chin, the aftershocks of hurt that still left her joints stinging, and just absorbed the absorbed the feeling of being whole.

It was impossible to describe those first few moments of pleasure and pain, the feeling of being free. Even before she rolled to her feet, before she spread her feather wings and took to the skies, that first brush of feathers against her aching skin meant she was no longer trapped. It was the first moment of the too few hours she'd allow herself to shed her human expectations and just be.

Taking a slow lungful of air, Caroline frowned. She lifted her head and she swiped at her mouth, shifting her weight to her knees. She wasn't alone. "What do you want?"

There was a moment of silence and then a soft laugh as a man stepped out of the woods. He had a tumble of dark blonde curls and a face that would make most women pause for a second or third look. But it was his scent that both intrigued and alarmed her. A whisper of wolf mingled with the sweetness of magic and just a touch of blood.

This was no human. She was both relieved and uneasy. A human would mean a shallow grave to hide her secrets. A witch or werewolf was a bit more complicated. Particularly when she wasn't certain that killing him would be simple.

"Aren't you a lovely little surprise," he murmured, gaze dragging blatantly across her tangled hair and bare breasts, lingering at the smeared blood across her chin and lips. Her half nakedness didn't bother her, but there was something dangerous about this unknown that prickled at her instincts and she narrowed her eyes. "That looked like it hurt, love."

"You're trespassing on private property," Caroline said tartly as she stood, wings shaking out automatically. She let them extend to catch the breeze, the last of the gore drying in the late summer heat. "And I'm not your business."

"Am I?" He murmured, lips curving to show the barest hint of dimple. "It appears I wandered a bit further than intended."

Caroline snorted. "A rare occurrence, for a wolf to lose its way."

The quickness of his smile was disarming, the sudden spark of boyish delight. "My wolf is still acquainting itself with my territory. But I believe you have me at a small disadvantage, sweetheart. My knowledge of mythological creatures is quite extensive, but I'm uncertain what to call you."

Wings stretching to their full length for a heartbeat, she settled them against her back and ignored the faint glow to his eyes as he watched her. Caroline wasn't going to admit to this creature who watched her with such fascination that she hardly knew what to call herself. That her father was an unknown creature who'd worn Bill Forbes face the night her mother had conceived, that he'd given her wings and that she was perhaps truly immortal.

Bill Forbes had tried for sixteen years to kill her, after all. When she was five years old, he'd gone so far as to remove her head with an axe, and then set her on fire. Her mom did talk about that day or how she'd survived, but Caroline knew two things. Dying hurt and it wasn't permanent.

"Usually I go by Caroline," she said sweetly, side-stepping his question. "And you're hardly just a wolf."

The night glow of his eyes grew brighter as the light faded around them and he stepped closer, hands clasped behind his back as he continued to study her. "Does that frighten you?"

"No," she said honestly. Fear was an old companion that she knew well. She was annoyed that someone had seen her change, intrigued that he was something new, and wary of the thread of heat that shivered through her with each curve of his pretty mouth.

His smile deepened, and she wondered if it was genuine. "I'm Klaus."

She blinked. Gaze narrowing, she dragged her eyes back down the line of his body, and studied the nuances of his scent. "Klaus of the Sun and Moon curse?"

"So you've heard of me?" He said with a bladed smile. "How delightful."

Caroline shrugged, pushing back a strand of hair as she tried to digest what he was telling her. Her instincts had been right, he was dangerous. If her sources were right, Klaus was the boogeyman of the supernatural. But the rumors had said he was a vampire…

She did her best to downplay her curiosity, even if she was certain he'd seen it. "A rumor, here or there. Personally, I'd have thought you'd be taller."

His laughter was low and strangely appealing. He moved towards her, until he was close enough to touch. She narrowed her eyes in warning but he made no move to actually reach for her. Instead, his eyes roamed the midnight feathers that arched behind her.

"A sentiment others have shared, I assure you."

She wondered if they'd seen the power in his lean body before he'd killed them, if he'd smiled with monster's teeth he hadn't shown her. Her skin prickled at the thought and it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. But touching the pretty monster in front of her would be suicidal. "Well, Klaus, are you going to try to kill me? Your reputation isn't known for sharing territory. And this place belongs to me."

Klaus caught a curl that the wind teased across her face, carefully tucked it behind her ear. "Well now, that depends on you.

"How magnanimous," she drawled.

"Even mysteries as lovely as you should watch their tongues," he warned her as his fingers skimmed her ear.

"It'll grow back," she said blithely.

To her surprise, Klaus' gaze sharpened, head tilting with what might been a quick flash of anger. "Will it?"

"You're terms, so we can avoid pissing all over each other's territory," she reminded him as she  
put her hand on his chest, and pushed. He obligingly stepped back, and she gave him a hard smile, before her gaze dipped low. "Particularly since you'd have the advantage."

A snort. "A bit crude."

"You're the wolf."

"Hybrid," he corrected, voice soft and lethal. "And I'm more likely to litter your fields with the bodies of those you care about."

"How passé," Caroline dismissed. "I'll go first then shall I? I've no interest in your politics or your schemes, as long as you leave my mother and I out of them. But if anything happens to my mom, I'll won't just destroy you and your little kingdom, Klaus Mikaelson, I'll erase it. Then I'll erase you."

Veins crawled into his eyes, and when Klaus smiled, she caught the edges of double fangs. It was a terrible sight that shouldn't have twitched the first stirrings of true arousal though her belly. "Is that a threat?"

She shrugged a shoulder, refused to flinch. "More like a promise."

She'd have expected rage, an attempt to kill her on the spot. Instead he looked amused, almost indulgent as she defied him. "Very few people live through such a statement, love."

"How boring for you."

His hand snaked around the nape of her neck, eyes burning as he pulled her into his space. The brush of his tongue against the bloody skin of her chin was unexpected, as was the low hum of approval as he caught her lip between his teeth in a gentle tug that did nothing to ease the growing ache between her thighs. Her wings flared out as her mouth opened against his, and he slicked his tongue along hers for a single taste before pulling back.

"I too, will broke no interference with my family, pretty Caroline. Nor will I allow you to work against me. But you'll find I can be an excellent ally."

She laughed against his mouth, snapped her teeth near his smile before she stepped out of his hold. "I'd have to trust you for that."

"So you will."

Caroline narrowed her eyes, and stretched her back in preparation for flight. "So a truce, then?"

His smile shifted to something wicked, eyes hot. "For now."

She dimpled at him. "Then get off my property."

His laughter followed her into the sky.

* * *

 **For lalainajanes who apparently needed fluff today. I may have given myself cavities. Just a tiny little thing, but I hope it helps!**

Caroline woke to the slow drag of knuckles down her spine. Grumbling, she pressed her face further against the warm neck beneath her cheek, body sliding pleasantly against naked skin. The scent of blood and sex was heavy in the air, but even the reminder of the previous night's activities didn't leave her inclined to move. She'd never tell him, Klaus was already far to smug these mornings that she woke in his bed, but she rarely slept better than pressed flushed against him. It was the excuse she gave herself for why she always woke sprawled across him like a Caroline-blanket, regardless of how she fell asleep.

Klaus made a soft noise of amusement, knuckles shifting to drag along the muscles of her back. "Morning, sweetheart.'

She pressed firmer against the pillow, nails digging against his hip. "Too early."

Years ago, and she'd have fumbled out of the bed as soon as she awoke, pretending she didn't want to stay. Refusing to admit that being curled around Klaus was as safe as she'd ever felt. But that little defiance had faded over the years, and this morning, she just wanted to sleep. Lazy mornings were one of her few indulgences, and Klaus rarely kept their mornings slow. Not with her impending departure looming over his head. He'd never pushed, rarely called her on her desire to limit her time in his bed, but he knew the limits of her vampirism down to the last orgasm.

To her surprise, Klaus merely hummed, palm flattening against her low back. When he made no move to do more than lay beneath her like a proper pillow, she sighed and allowed herself to drift. She could feel the sun warming her feet and calves, but it was weak compared to the heat of Klaus' hybrid nature.

"Tell me," Klaus murmured lowly some unknown amount of time later, fingers tugging lightly at the ends of her hair. "How long until you'll admit that you want to stay?"

For a moment, she drowsily considered being pissed. It was just like him, to slide such a question between them when she was content. But it was hard to work up the mad when he used that low tone, voice a rich rasp of need. Huffing, she lifted her head to frown at him from beneath the wild tumble of her sex ruined hair. She expected the intensity of his gaze, but the not the softness as he pushed her hair away from her face. It was that tenderness that curbed her tongue. Particularly since she wasn't inclined to start an argument, not after the night before and the indulgence of that morning.

"Not today," she said, voice rough from sleep, her grouchiness at being woken clear on her face. Klaus' gaze narrowed and she gave an embarrassing squeak as he rolled them. Blowing at strand of hair, she went to scowl when his head dipped and his mouth caught hers. There was a slow intensity to his kiss and Klaus' particularly brand of possessive greed, but intertwined was that softness that he'd only ever shown her. She relaxed against him, fingers twisting in his tangled curls, leg winding around his hip.

"How about tomorrow," he cajoled against her lips, thumb feathering against her cheek. She sighed as he settled further between her thighs, his growing erection stirring her interest. She ignored that low flush of heat, the way he watched her with knowing eyes.

Instead, unhurried, she dragged her nails down the nape of his neck, palm lingering on the muscle of his shoulders. "Probably not tomorrow, either, but I'm open to persuasion."

This time his kiss was hotter, wetter, and when he slid down the line of her body, she welcomed the familiar distraction. Caroline didn't need an excuse to stay, not for decades, but she wasn't silly enough to turn down the practiced stroke of his tongue. It was _hours_ before she convinced him to leave the room, but dinner had been followed by dancing, which always led back to the bedroom. When she woke the next morning, it was to the gentle tug of fingers through her hair and her disgruntled realization that at some point, she really was going to have to admit that he was right.

She did want to stay.

She'd probably make him wait another week, if she could manage it.


End file.
